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World Hit Festival 58 | Le Havre, N&P | Draft Thread (CLSD)

PostPosted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:36 pm
by Normandy and Picardy
Image

whf network |ooc thread | ic thread

contest and stage details



Madames et Messieurs, Welcome to the Draft Thread of the 58th World Hit Festival! This will be the place where nations will work and post on their entry that I (the host) will then eventually transfer to the IC thread once it opens. The final deadline for posting entries will be 18th April, 11:59PM GMT. However, nations are free to make minor edits to their entries as I transfer them to the IC thread, i.e. there will be a 24 hour grace period after the entry posting deadline for nations to ask for edits as I post/finish up the IC thread. After April 19th, all entries will be considered final, and I will endeavour to have the IC Thread as complete as possible for the 19th-20th. Details on the listenalong etc. will come at a later date

For this thread, you can use any format that you wish when posting your entry. The only things that will change as it is transferred to the IC thread will be the header (which will act as a link to your postcard and will be located at the top of your entry) as well as the text being aligned to the center for uniformity's sake. Otherwise, the host nation will not alter the RP aspect in any major form, but minor additions are liable to be made that will only come at the very end of your entries.

  1. Please leave translations at the end of your post under a single spoiler.
  2. If you are currently working on an entry, please put Work-in-Progress or WIP on the top of the entry or on a spoiler. This makes it easier to track which countries have completed their entries based on WHF standards.

As written by Kalosia for WHF26: The host (Normandy and Picardy in this case) reserves the right to make alterations to your RP when copying it over to the IC thread. However, these alterations will be limited to cleaning up the formatting as well as adding (not deleting) RP regarding the situation in the arena (i.e. how the audience reacted). Substantial/major alterations will not be made without written permission, and any further changes to an entry within the IC thread will only be done upon written request by the user behind it, and with host discretion.

Remaining Deadlines
Sign-ups Close - 14th April
Draft Thread Close - 18th April (+24 hour grace period)
Voting Deadline- 25th April
Winner Known By: 2nd May


The Running Order

To be determined by random draw held live on Discord and posted in the OOC Thread once the Draft Thread Deadline has passed


Additional Information/Miscellany

RP and Stage Info: When determining your performance, you are more than free to use the show + host city details as you write your RP. If you have any questions about specific stage effects or trying to see what is/isn't possible on the stage, don't be afraid to ask me questions through the WHF58 OOC thread, through telegram, or through Discord.

What is a Complete Entry?: A complete entry, by technical definition, is an entry on the draft thread with a usable tune and a complete set of lyrics (all stanzas, verses, and etc. covered). Which means, I can transfer a post with just pure lyrics onto the IC thread and mark it as a complete entry. However, I encourage all nations to put in RP to your entries. It makes the entry look far more complete than just lyrics on the page, and while it won't guarantee higher points, it will signal to the WHF community that you are putting in effort than just beyond lyrics. However, since time is often a crunch (aka me every WHF so I relate). What will not be transferred is an entry with incomplete lyrics, just a header, or one considered too low-effort or inappropriate for the standards of WHF.

Additional Information on Headers: You are encouraged to include the names of your song's IC producers and IC lyric writers. This information will go on your header. I will supply the now-customary header template (which will be replaced by a graphical header on the IC thread). However, you are not required to use this particular header for this draft thread, as you are free to use whatever format you use.

Code: Select all
[box][b][size=200][color=#000080]XX. Country[/color]
[color=#0080FF]"Song Title" - Artist[/color][/size][/b]
[b]Title Transcription:[/b] (If any, eliminate this line otherwise)
[b]Title Translation:[/b] (If any, eliminate this line otherwise)
[b]Language(s):[/b] Language(s) of the lyrics of the song
[color=#404040][b]Lyrics:[/b] IC song writers
[b]Music:[/b] IC song composers
[b]Tune:[/b] Add the link to your tune here[/color][/box]


WORLD! START POSTING NOW!
COMMENCEZ POSTER MAINTENANT, TOUT LE MONDE!

Note: This post may be regularly updated without announcement, please do check from time to time especially during/near deadlines.

Feel free to reach out to me, Normandy and Picardy, or the overseer, Britonisea, if you have any questions!

PostPosted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 5:38 pm
by Beepee
XX. Beepee
"Take That!" - The Goolies

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Hodja Wiest,
Music: Xavier Breth
Tune: Die Draufgänger - "Schachmatt" (WHF Edit)


ARTIST BACKGROUND - THE GOOLIES

Early Life

The Goolies are a band made up of Xavier Breth (23), Frank Chaat (24), and Hodja Wiest (24).  The trio grew up together on the same street, and were best friends at school. 

At an early age they each showed an aptitude for music with Xavier taking up trombone and Frank, the accordion and Hodja focused on vocals and songwriting. 

For a brief time Xavier and Hodja dated, but the two are now just friends.

In their mid-teens they formed their first polka band playing traditional polka waltzes.  Before moving into more contemporary schlager as they reached their late teens.

Music

Prior to Worldvision 87, The Goolies had some minor hits on the specialist music charts within Beepee.  But had never had in hit on the Topplist Top 10 (Beepee's official charts).

But the band received their breakthrough when they were chosen to represent Beepee at Worldvision Song Contest 87, held in Peeto, Polkopia.

The Goolies sang "Marry Me". The song finished 23 of 36 nations with a total of 106 points. 

Despite its relatively low finishing position, the song "Marry Me" peaked at number 1 on the Beepeean Topplist Charts and remained in the Beepeean charts for a total of 16 weeks. The music video scored almost 4.5million views on WhoTube.

Their follow up single "Take That!" has already spent 2 weeks in the Beepeean Topplist Top 10, following the announcement of the song as the Beepeean entrant for World Hit Festival 58 and spurred on by negative reviews in the Beepeean press, who call the song "loutish", "demeaning" and "promoting drinking culture".

The Goolies will be hoping to score well in World Hit Festival, and emulate the performance of WHF57 entrant Poppy Cox with her song "Parole D'Amore"  who finished 12th of 21 entrants with 11 points in Amiens.

LE HAVRE

The Goolies arrived early in Le Havre, as is customary in Beepeean tradition to be early rather than late to any event, and the trio spent a few days exploring the city.

On the first day they walked  from their hotel in the downtown along the promenade and the pebbly beach known as plage du havre to the St Adresse suburb. Along their route they stared out at bleak views over the Channel, as well as the ships coming into and leaving the harbour.  A cool northerly wind sweeping down from the north.

They saw the brightly coloured beach huts, and Frank skimmed some stones in the water.  On the promenade they stopped and had lunch at one of the beachfront eateries.  It was delightful.

They then headed up to Les Jardins Suspendus, an old Fort which had been converted into public gardens with all manners of flowers and plants.  They spent a thrilling afternoon wandering the walled gardens, before heading back to their hotel.

PERFORMANCE

Note:
For the purposes of this performance
Words sung by Xavier will be colour coded blue 
words sung by Frank will be colour coded green
Words sung by Hodja will be colour coded red
Words sung by all members of the band will be colour coded yellow


Before Before performance begins, the stage is set. A deep mahogany bar is centrally located in the middle of the stage at either end a bar stool. 

At the beginning of the performance, Hodja is off stage,  Frank behind the bar and Xavier perched on one of the stools.

As the postcard ends, the stage is in darkness. The lights are set to black as the first beat of the drum kicks in, the stage explodes in light, allowing the audience the full view of the design.

Xavier lifts his microphone and begins.  As he does, in anticipation, Frank who has a melodeon stapped around his chest, cans and stands proud on the bar.

Once upon a time, and not so long ago,
I found myself at a bar,
Ooh ooh
As I sat there, I noticed her walking in,
I thought she looked quite fine.
Ooh oh

With each 'ooh', Frank thrusts his hand in the air, egging on the audience to follow his lead.  The audience obliges with deep guttural ooh oohs ringing throughout the stade oceane.  It's a sound akin to the visceral cheers of a football crowd.

During the preceding stanza, Hodja enters from the stage left crossing in front of Xavier, who looks at her like a man who hasn't eaten in a week.  She continues past him and sits down on the other bar stool.

As she sings the following stanza, Xavier walks towards Hodja, flicking up the colour of his shirt as he does, in  dramatic 'grease trying to be cool way. Hodja however rebuts him, pushing him back as he approaches.

As I sat, he walked up to me,
Ready to give me a line,
So I turned, looked him in the eye
And told him where to go

The chorus begins, and Frank yells "Take That!" With gusto  again thrusting his fist in the air with each line he sings.  The audience clearly get the picture and start copying Frank.  The director pans out over the crowd as this happens and the televisual audience would delight in what looks like waves of hands across the arena.

As Xavier sings his lines, he clutches his chest, looking wounded, and pleading with his eyes as he looks down the camera at the audience for someone to put him out of his misery.

Take That!
Like a shot through the heart
Take That!
My world fell apart
Take That!
She cut me right down
]Take That!
And I felt like a clown

It hurt
So I ran away
So deep
Hiding my pain
I went and I sat by myself

As the next stanza begins, Xavier has returned to his chair.  Frank slides  a large tankard of ale over to him and Xavier lifts the tankard In thanks.

Sitting by myself, all alone now in a booth,
Smarting with my wounded pride,
ohh ohh
Wondering what in the world did I do wrong,
All I wanted was to ask her the time
Hey hey

The acting level is of The Goolies in this performance is truly hammy and quite worthy of DoReDos, and now its Hodja's turn to ham it up.  As she sings the following verse, she walks over to Xavier, bit he rebuts her and sends her back to her side of the bar.

He looked so sad, sitting all by himself
I started to feel bad,
So I bought a drink, heading over to him,
He told me what he thought

At the end of the last stanza, Frank shoves a tankard of ale over to Hodja, who again raises it in salute of the accordion plating moron.

The chorus begins with Frank, rallying the crowd once more.  During this chorus, both Hodja and Xavier move to tbe middle of the bar, below where Frank is whipping the crowd into mass hysteria.

Take That!
Like a shot through the heart
Take That!
My world fell apart
Take That!
He cut me right down
Take That!
And I felt like a clown

It hurt
So I ran away
So deep
Hiding my pain
I went and I sat by myself

As the lalala's begin the three performers sway side to side. And the audience follows... before being egged on to oooh oh ohh with Frank.

La la la lala la la la
La la la lala la
(Ooh ooh oh)
La la la lala la la la
La la la lala la
(Ooh ooh)

As the bridge ends, Hodja and Frank notice they are close to each other, shake their heads and then begin heading back to their own side of the bar, looking dejected.

Take That!
Like a shot through the heart
Take That!
My world fell apart
Take That!
We both got cut down
Take That!
And we both felt like a clowns

It hurt
we ran away
So deep
Both hiding our pain
We went and we sat by ourselves.

As the final lines are sung, Hodja and Xavier have made their way back to their barstools.  They both heavily lump themselves into the chairs.  As the last line is sung, they take a swig from their tankards and before slamming it down on the bar and then resting their foreheads on the bar.

With that the music ends and the lights go out on the performance.

After a couple of seconds, the lights come back on and the trio head to front of stage to bow politely and wave wave thanks to the audience, who have clearly helped the atmosphere of the song.

PostPosted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 5:39 pm
by Adab
XX. Adab
"Sail" - Aisha al-Badri

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Aisha al-Badri
Music: Aisha al-Badri
Tune: Dua Lipa - We're Good


Image
Aisha al-Badri


Background
More than a decade and a half had passed since a contestant from the Islamic Empire of Adab graced the stage of the World Hit Festival. A long-running economic crisis had resulted in the country pulling out of international cultural and sporting events, including the WHF itself, and plans for the country's return were constantly delayed. But now the economy was once again on an upward trend, the general mood of the public was optimistic, and support was high for Adab's comeback to the WHF. The passage of years had left the Adab Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) feeling rather uneasy regarding this potential comeback, fearing if the current musical trends had left them too far behind, and the corporation decided to avoid jumping back into the WHF straight away. Instead, they observed the WHF efforts of the nearby island country of Faraby, which had just decided to join the Islamic Empire as an "associated state" by way of a Compact of Free Association. Faraby's two WHF entries - Iskender Salih's "Brotherhood of Man" for WHF56, followed by Pavlos Konstantinopoulos and Daoud Bakr performing "The Star" for WHF57 - did not place very highly overall, but the Faraby Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) had never really sought the top spot and in any case was satisfied with their entrants' overall performance, and so too were their new superiors at the ABC. Faraby's music was not very different from the music that was popular in Adab, and the ABC saw that maybe there was still a place for them in this competition. The Imperial Palace, for its part, was very supportive of the ABC's plan to return to the WHF.

It had long been alleged that the ABC had always seen the WHF as something of a second fiddle to WorldVision, a place to shine the light on emerging talents who, while undoubtedly talented, were seen as just not good enough for WorldVision. ABC Director-General Benji Akiya denied this in his press conference announcing Adab's return to the WHF, pointing out that the broadcaster had always held separate selection processes for WorldVision and the WHF, unlike "some other nations" which instead sent the second-place finisher in their national final to the WHF (he did not name any particular nation). Another allegation - and one that Benji did not take the time to deny - was that the ABC had never set its aims as highly for the WHF as it did for WorldVision. Adab's WHF entrants, it was claimed, were not expected to achieve a high placing, let alone win the whole thing, and would just be told to do their best.

If Benji largely avoided discussing those topics in public, behind the scenes they were never far away from his mind. Adab's WHF contestants, he told an ABC board meeting, must never be made to feel that they were competing in a "second-rate WorldVision" event. "They must see that the opportunity to represent Adab on the WHF stage is a valuable prize," he said. "It's not some sort of consolation prize for missing WorldVision. This is a golden opportunity, equally valuable as the chance to appear on the WV stage. God knows how many people want to get to the WV or WHF stage, but only a select few ever manage to get there. This is something that we must emphasize."

This perception would take some time to completely dispel, and the ABC understood it. To speed up the process, Benji suggested that the ABC pick "someone with an inspirational background, a role model", someone whose appearance on the WHF would give the event legitimacy equal to that of WorldVision in the eyes of the Adabian audience. The ABC embarked on an internal selection process similar to that recently held by Faraby for WorldVision 89; the corporation asked potential contestants to submit a video of themselves singing, with the song preferably an original composition. Playing an instrument in the video would also be a bonus, as additional proof of the applicant's musical talent. However, diverging from Faraby's selection process, the ABC also asked applicants to submit an essay (max. 2000 words) detailing their lives up to this point and the most meaningful experience they had ever had. Benji was actively involved in the process, spending up to a few hours every day with ABC staff, poring through videos and essays, making notes of which applicants they thought had the potential to represent Adab on the WHF stage.

One applicant in particular caught their attention.

Benji had never heard of the 20-year-old Aisha al-Badri, though some of the younger staff had, if only in passing. She had posted videos of herself performing covers of popular songs, in both acoustic and electric arrangements, on MyTube. She had released at least three songs on Songtify, where they racked up streaming numbers in the tens of thousands. This was a common path, followed by countless young, aspiring musicians across the country. They would post videos of themselves singing on MyTube, then if they got popular enough and/or decided to embark on a serious music career they would try to upload a few songs on Songtify and see how well they would end up doing. After that, maybe some record label would take notice and sign them.

But what distinguished Aisha from the others was her life story.

As a young girl she had fled civil war in Libya with her parents and younger sister. They were quite a poor family, and their circumstances were made even more difficult when their house in Benghazi was shelled and severely damaged. With the future becoming increasingly bleak for them, they decided to leave the country. The overland route through Egypt was highly dangerous and outright blocked in some places, so they elected to brave the Mediterranean waters on a boat to reach the shores of Adab, where they hoped to eventually join some not-so-distant relatives who had emigrated years ago to seek employment in Adab City. The boat that Aisha's parents boarded was already filled to the brim, and Aisha and her sister were forced to hop on another boat, watched over by a family friend who was also fleeing the war with them. Both boats would leave for Adab on the same "gloomy, stormy, rainy night", as Aisha wrote in her essay. Both boats were in terrible condition and grossly overcrowded, and during a heavy storm off the western coast of Adab the one carrying Aisha's parents took on water and overturned. Separated by torrential rain and violent, unrelenting waves, those on the other boat could only watch in horror as some passengers of the first boat drowned and slipped beneath the waters with the boat.

The Adab Coast Guard quickly came to the rescue. But for some it was too late, including Aisha's parents.

After an emotionally torturous overland journey by car and bus from the western coast to Adab City, accompanied by the family friend, Aisha and her younger sister were taken in by an older cousin whom they had never seen before, who worked as a construction foreman. They were not rich, but they no longer had to live in fear of war and eviction. But still, the loss of both parents - and the sight of them drowning in that storm - would haunt Aisha for years to come, the emotional pain simply indescribable even if invisible to the outside world. The pain haunted her, accompanied her as she tried to live a normal life like everyone else, as she went to school, as she and her sister became Adabian citizens, as she entered technical college. Outside she was a happy, optimistic girl who made friends easily and spent her free time performing and recording music. Inside she was a tortured soul who saw music as a way to channel her pain. Her songs were a mixture of those aspects of her personality. "Bright, catchy melody with not-so-bright lyrics," she wrote in the essay. "I must admit that, sadly, more often then not the lyrics are an accurate reflection of my condition. I just try to make them sound happy because I don't want to depress my audience.

"But," she continued, referring to the song that she performed on the video, "this song is much more optimistic, even lyrically-wise, than my usual songs. I wrote this song from the perspective of someone who has had to flee their country. It could be me, you, my parents, or anyone else who has gone through that kind of experience. That journey where I lost my parents has haunted me for so long. I want to try to look at it in a more positive way and perhaps even make it a tribute to my parents, and to all of us who have had to flee our homeland, to whom the label 'refugee' has been assigned. People who just want to feel safe. People who just want to have a home."

Benji Akiya understood her, and he saw that she had potential. "Her home," he told ABC staff, "will be the WHF stage."

The Performance
Le Havre, Normandy and Picardy. Just a few years ago, the refugee girl would never have dared to dream that one day she would be in this foreign country, carrying the banner of the country which took her in. When she was in that boat, drifting in the moonless night from wave to wave, she never dreamed that she would in the future find herself in Le Havre, admiring the timeless artistic works of Monet, Boudin, and Gaugin, counting down the clock until her appearance on the stage of the World Hit Festival. It all seemed like a dream.

And yet it was real, and the reality of it all dawned upon her as she emerged onto the stage at the Stade Océane. Dressed in gold, which happened to match the golden twirl that was the centerpiece of the venue, she made her way in quietly amid almost-complete darkness. But soon the darkness would be no more, for her entrance heralded the coming of the light. As she marched onto the middle of the central platform, the twirl gradually revealed itself in all its golden glory, running around the length of the venue. Towering over the twirl and the stage, the lights across the ceiling shone forth, with two spotlights directly above Aisha coming down on her. At the first glance she cut a small, lonely figure, overwhelmed by the massive stage, but in her solitude all eyes were on her and no one else, and that made her seem more powerful.

"Hi, my name is Aisha al-Badri," she began, as the LED screens behind her changed to show what appeared to be a stream of cars and barefooted refugees making their way down a crowded desert road on an afternoon. Swaying slightly, she started towards the smaller platform, the spotlights following her. "I was a refugee. I'd like to dedicate this song to all the people like me who are forced to leave their homes, drifting from sea to sea, land to land. I'd especially like to dedicate this song to my parents." The LED floor remained dark, except for a thin, bright line of red running along the edges of the stage, symbolizing fire, death, and danger.

I was on the road
With the fire behind me
I couldn't turn around
Let the desert wind lead me

And now we're on a lonely beach
With the last coins in our pockets
The man said, "I can get you outta here
"Hop on this boat and soon we'll be on our way"


Aisha was now descending from the central stage to the smaller platform. Below her feet the LED floor began to turn a slightly dark blue in its entirety, swallowing the thin red line. The golden twirl that towered over her now began to turn (a somewhat brighter) blue, which was oddly appropriate considering that it symbolized the waves of the sea. The LED screens behind her were now showing, from some distance, people congregating at the beach on a moonless night, the wind blowing strongly and the waves occasionally crashing against the shore. There were a few boats there, waiting to take passengers.

It was raining when we finally sailed away
Packed together like sardines, the boat was shaking
But it's better than falling into fire and blood
I still remember the black rain, the smell of death
Had to get outta here and sail away


The camera was now providing a sideways view of Aisha as she stood at the center of the smaller platform, intending to get closer to her audience. The LED screens showed the aforementioned boats slowly sailing away into the darkness and out of the screen. Once the last boat had disappeared, the screens abruptly changed to show pictures and videos of burning towns and cities and urban warfare across the world. In one scene, civilians could be seen fleeing from street to street as a building caught fire in the background and soldiers ran towards the opposite direction. The venue reverberated with the rapid and orderly, but nevertheless unnerving, sound of gunshots from the videos, along with the occasional explosion. The gunshots and explosions were accompanied by a burst of pyrotechnics along the stage, streams of fire rapidly blasting towards - but not hitting - the ceiling. The twirl and the stage floor now shifted entirely to a bright, burning red. And in the middle of the smaller platform Aisha stood still, looking straight at the audience as the stage was bathed in red and bursts of fire surrounded her.

There's never a future
But to die of hunger
Or fall to a warlord's bullet in his own war

I'm fine if that's my destiny
But I owe it to my children
I may die poor, but they should be happy
I knew I must leave this terrible land


The pyrotechnics gradually began to die down, and the stage once again changed colors, a shade of blue taking over and overwhelming the red from the front of the stage, up the steps, and towards the very back. The twirl did not, however, turn blue alongside the stage. Instead, it slowly became a dark grey mass, towering over the blue stage like a dark, sinister cloud over the sea. And this was precisely what was now shown on the LED screens. They were no longer showing scenes of war, shifting to a view of two boats in the middle of an increasingly violent sea, in a dark night made even darker by the grey clouds above and the intense rain washing over the boats, along with the occasional lightning. The sound of rain and thunder burst forth through the venue's sound system, immersing the audience in this experience.

It was raining when we finally sailed away
Packed together like sardines, the boat was shaking
But it's better than falling into fire and blood
I still remember the black rain, the smell of death
Had to get outta here and sail away


Aisha now started back towards the central platform, as the thunder and lightning came in increasingly rapid succession. Some members of the audience could be seen putting their hands over their ears in response to the noise. In the LED screens the audience could see the waves growing larger and more violent, rocking the boats back and forth in the darkness. Standing on the central platform, for a moment she turned away from the audience, jerking her head at the screens behind her, the scene reminding her of her own journey across the sea all those years ago.

Though the waves washed over me
And the rain fell over me
I'd never go back to that forsaken land
They bombed my house, I had nowhere to live there


As Aisha launched into the final chorus, the stage floor suddenly changed colors once again, turning from blue to a bright gold from end to end. The twirl above her, too, became golden, shining in the cavernous interior of the Stade Océane. The rain and thunder and lightning stopped, and in the screens the darkness gave way to the orange-blue sky of sunrise and a calmer sea, with the boats marching on at full speed. The worst had passed, and as Aisha finished the penultimate verse of the song, land could be seen in the distance in the screens, with the sun rising serenely over the terrain.

It was raining when we finally sailed away
Packed together like sardines, the boat was shaking
But it's better than falling into fire and blood
I still remember the black rain, the smell of death
Had to get outta here and sail away


At the end of the last word, the spotlights that had been following Aisha disappeared, the stage floor went dark, and the LED screens were switched off. The golden twirl remained, as did the other lights spread across the ceiling, although they dimmed somewhat. Aisha watched as the audience cheered and applauded her performance. "Thank you everyone, thank you so much," she said. "This song is for all the refugees of the world, my family, and my country of Adab, which took me and my family in and became our new home. Thank you Le Havre!" She turned away from the audience with one final wave before making her way backstage.

PostPosted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 5:45 pm
by Faraby
XX. Faraby
"Dance with Me" - Ela Aydilek

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Ela Aydilek
Music: Ela Aydilek
Tune: Nilüfer Yanya - Tears


Image
Ela Aydilek


Background
Although Faraby's previous WHF entry, "The Star" by Pavlos Konstantinopoulos and Daoud Bakr, did not reach the upper reaches of the scoreboard, the FBC was still satisfied by their entrants' performance and soon announced that it was committed to at least another year of participation in the event. With Prince Samir and Grand Vizier Sania Russo increasingly removing themselves from FBC affairs to focus on governing the country, FBC Director-General Sabiha Vali and Head of Delegation Kara Abbas found that they were now in possession of increasingly greater autonomy in deciding which direction Faraby's next WHF entry would take. With the ratification of the Compact of Free Association and the incorporation of Faraby into the realm of Adab, the FBC now found itself a subsidiary of the Adab Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), but the ABC - which was focusing on its own WHF entry - thankfully did not intrude too much on the FBC's WHF efforts.

Faraby's entry into WHF58 occurred against the backdrop of the island state's inaugural WorldVision appearance. Like its parent broadcaster, the FBC soon found itself accused of treating the WHF as something of a secondary event. Whereas ABC Director-General Benji Akiya took the time to deny this particular accusation, Vali and Abbas chose to ignore it entirely, believing that they had other priorities to focus on. Nevertheless, their choice of contestants was seen their own, understated way of countering the accusation. The FBC had gone with up-and-coming artists Konstantinopoulos and Bakr for WHF57, so now they turned to a slightly older, more established star, someone whose fame and reputation - whether the FBC would admit it or not - could go some ways to convince the Farabian population that the FBC was indeed taking the WHF seriously. The 25-year-old Ela Aydilek had been a music star in the island for some time, with her latest album My Name Is Ela Aydilek hitting number one on the Farabian charts, and the FBC quickly offered her the opportunity to appear on the WHF stage with a song penned by herself, if she so desired. "Of course I agreed immediately!" Ela would later say. "Not everyone gets the opportunity to perform in the WHF."

"Dance with Me" was partly inspired by Ela's own experience. She had been an occasional visitor to The House, a popular nightclub in Faraby City. However, the club was recently closed down and demolished, with the site intended for redevelopment as an apartment building. Plans to move the club to a nearby unoccupied land were floated but so far had not yet come to fruition. "It's a bit of a shame, I think," Ela said. "That club was a nice place and I had a good time there with my friends and boyfriend. So when I heard that the club was going to be closed and demolished, it inspired me to write this little song, imagining what I'd be doing if I were in the club on that last night. I had quite the fun writing this song. I just hope the fans will enjoy it!"

The Performance
While publicly Ela Aydilek was enthusiastic about appearing on the WHF, in private she felt rather nervous and unsure if her performance would go down well. Though she would not admit it, these feelings were the strongest as she prepared to emerge onto the stage in Le Havre. The eyes of the multiverse were upon her, including the paltry yet enthusiastic contingent of Farabians who had been allowed by the government to travel to Le Havre amid continuing fears over the Great Pestilence, even though all reports indicated that this disease was very much in control in Normandy and Picardy (otherwise they wouldn't be able to hold an event of this scale).

As Ela stepped onto the stage, the previously dark floor suddenly lit up in squares of various bright colors - red, green, blue, and yellow - as if it were a dance floor, all the colors randomly distributed among the squares with no recognizable pattern. The LED screens showed footage from outside of The House, the nightclub which she used to frequent, gradually zooming in towards the door. Across the ceiling white light burst forth, breaking through the general darkness of the venue, with a spotlight pointing down at Ela and following her as she strolled to the middle of the central platform, and another two spotlights crisscrossing the stage around her. Above her towered the twirl, now turned crystal white. The Farabian attendees cheered as the cameras zoomed in on her.

Ela furrowed her brows and smiled a little smile to herself. She was going to do well, for herself and for her country if for no one else.

They’re locking the doors for one last time
“We’re shutting this place down,” they all said
They’re ‘bout to turn the lights off
Wait there a minute, wait there

Lover, come on over here and stay with me
We both know this will be our last night here
This floor is ours before they throw us out
Dance here with me now, let us dance now


In the LED screens, viewers could see the door to the club open, revealing what was inside the club: people moving about, people ordering drinks as white lights occasionally flickered around them, the walls colored in a dim purple, and finally the main attraction: the dance floor itself, bathed in squares of many colors just like the stage floor on which Ela was now standing. The angle of the view in the LED screens was such that the stage appeared to neatly extend into the screens and beyond, two floors - one real, one on video - uniting to form one large dance floor, colored squares and all. Ela swayed her hips occasionally as she traveled along the edges of the central platform before making her way down to the smaller platform, her voice growing sultry.

Everyone’s leaving now, there’s no one but you and me
And this floor is ours, this whole place is ours
So let’s dance the night away, dance ‘til the lights are out
Let’s dance the last dance


As Ela launched into the chorus, she extended one hand towards the crowd as if reaching out to them. The lights attached to the ceiling, which up to this point had been uniformly white, suddenly changed into a red-green-blue pattern, so bright and striking even to those at the farthest ends of the venue. The squares on the stage floor began to rapidly cycle between red, green, blue, and yellow. Ela pulled her hand back and laid it on her waist, all the while keeping her eyes on the audience.

’Cause you know
It’s such a precious moment
The one we have now
Alone, you and me
Nothing between us, so let’s dance
All through the night I’ll be seeing your eyes only, yeah
Nothing between our lips, let’s keep this to ourselves


At this point, two couples - male and female - ran into the central platform behind Ela, each couple coming in from the opposite direction. Each couple then began dancing the waltz around the central platform, as Ela herself remained on the smaller platform alone. In the LED screens, viewers could see some people making their way onto the dance floor and starting to dance, a few dancing with a partner, the others doing it alone, everyone seemingly having a good time. The cameras gradually zoomed out to give those watching from home an unobstructed view of the length and width of the stage and all the action on it.

Looking at you, your face just fills my gaze
You know I can’t stand it when you stare back at me
And I just melt into your hands
Dance here with me now, dance closer to me
Dance now


"Where's all my Farabian friends?!" Ela took the time to give a shout-out to her compatriots in the crowd, which was promptly greeted with loud cheers from the Farabians in the audience. Slowly she retreated from the smaller platform, making her way backwards, up the steps and back to the central platform, where the two couples were still doing the waltz. Ela now stood in the very middle of the central platform, the couples beginning to dance in circles around her.

Everyone’s leaving now, there’s no one but you and me
And this floor is ours, this whole place is ours
So let’s dance the night away, dance ‘til the lights are out
Let’s dance the last dance


Now another man ran into the central platform and went straight for Ela, narrowly avoiding one of the couples in the process. Ela stood still in the middle, raising one hand and putting her other hand around the man's waist, pulling him towards her. The crowd cheered, even though they were unsure who exactly this man was and if he was any relation to Ela. He might be just be another dancer for all they knew. Above them the twirl began to flicker and rapidly shift between white and gold and blue and back to white, and so on.

’Cause you know
It’s such a precious moment
The one we have now
Alone, you and me
Nothing between us, so let’s dance
All through the night I’ll be seeing your eyes only, yeah
Nothing between our lips, let’s keep this to ourselves


The LED screens were still showing people on the dance floor, showing their moves and having fun. There were not many people there and they were quite separated from each other. The screens gradually zoomed in to show just a man and a woman dancing together in the middle of the floor, emphasizing the intimacy of the occasion. On the real stage, the two couples gradually moved away from Ela and the man to allow them more space. Ela took the man by his hand, and then they themselves began to dance in the middle of the platform as Ela repeated the chorus, with the couples still doing the waltz and moving around Ela and the man in (now larger) circles. All the while the squares on the stage floor continued to change colors, although now they were doing so at a slightly slower speed, perhaps a nod to the fact that the song was drawing to a close.

’Cause you know
It’s such a precious moment
The one we have now
Alone, you and me
Nothing between us, so let’s dance
All through the night I’ll be seeing your eyes only, yeah
Nothing between our lips, let’s keep this to ourselves


As the song reached its outro, the lights gradually began to dim across the ceiling. On the floor, the squares still changed colors but they were rapidly slowing down. The two couples around Ela and the man, too, danced with increasingly slower speed, until they finally ceased to waltz and began to move away to opposite ends of the platform, still holding each other. Ela and the man still moved in small circles around the middle of the central platform. The LED screens still showed the man and woman dancing, but even on that fictional floor the lights were dimming and the squares on the floor ceased to change colors.

Everyone’s leaving now, there’s no one but you and me
Everyone’s leaving now
Everyone’s leaving now, there’s no one but you and me
Me-e, e-e, me-e
And you, you, you
You, you, you


At the end of the song, the LED screens went dark as well as the stage floor, the squares disappearing into the darkness of the floor. The lights on the ceiling all turned white once again and the spotlights dissipated. Ela gathered everyone else on the stage around her, after which they walked down the steps to the end of the smaller platform and bowed to the audience. "Thank you Le Havre, thank you everyone!" she said with a grateful smile, waving to the audience as they cheered and applauded her (with the Farabians even flying their miniature national flags) before leaving for backstage along with everyone else.

PostPosted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 7:23 pm
by Pemecutan
XX. Pemecutan
"Ku Disini" - Arini

Title Translation: I'm Here
Language(s): Indonesian
Lyrics: Gading Mahesa & Arini
Music: Dian Permana Putra
Tune: Ruelle - Carry You


Born in Alangkajeng 26 years ago, Putu Ayu Arini Dewi or popularly known as Arini is Pemecutan actress, singer and songwriter. Entering entertainment industry in 2005, she begin her career in acting in the film, Rumahku Istanaku, where she was playing as the main actor's child. Her music career begin in 2009 after she sing a soundtrack in her film. Her next two film project also feature her as the film soundtrack singer. It was in 2011 that she released her first and self title album at the age of 17. The album was not well received. Feeling rejected as a singer, she back again to film. In 2012, she again sing a soundtrack for her own film. She continue her acting career until in 2015, she release her second album entitled "Kenangan". The album gained a mild success. Her latest album was released in 2018 with the title "Nafas Kehidupan". This album is well received even gained platinum certificate. She gained 3 nominations at Chakra Music Award because of the album. She then become busy with concert and film project. Her released in 2020 is a movie soundtrack for the film "Sang Ratu" which being nominated for 37th PAMPAS Academy Award.

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The song "Ku Disini" (I'm Here) which is selected as the entry for the 58th World Hit Festival is a new standalone single that was released by Arini in early 2021. She is collaborated with Gading Mahesa to create the lyric which is inspire by loneliness and sorrow that have been felt by Gading Mahesa during his cancer treatment. To balance things out, Arini insert an encouragement lyrics to the song to ease the sorrow and longing that being felt. The process of music arrangement is quite a journey. At first Mahesa tried to make the music for the lyric but he always feels that the music he created is not match with the lyric. He then approached several arranger to create the music for the lyric. Dian Permana Putra then accepted the offer and create the music for the lyric. It's not long for him to create the soothing music. When they test the song with Arini sing it, they clearly loved the combination of the lyric and the music. They only make a few changes before recording the song. Arini decided to released the song digitally at first before release it formally as a standalone single. The song is received positively and it reached number 1 Pemecutan Music Chart just a few days after it was released. It retain in the top spots for 5 weeks.



For the performance, Arini is wearing an off pink laced mermaid-style dress. Her hair is left flowing. The lights on the stage are keep at a minimum. Arini is seen standing there at the main platform. There only one spotlight that shine through her. A soothing intro of a piano voice open the song. She begin to sing the verse of the song which can be clearly heard. The camera show a close up of her face which seen a sorrow and sad expression.

Saat hati terbelenggu sepi
Hening terasa di tengah bising

Akankah ada dia yang hapuskan sepimu....
Akankah ada dia yang cerahkan hatimu....

The camera roll out to give a wider view of her. She looks glowing as the light are spotting from behind as she sing the chorus. Her hands makes a gesture as she is reaching out of something that out of her reach.

Tak perlu engkau ragu
Ku ada disini tuk temanimu....
Raih tanganku...
Hapus sepimu

The camera gives a side view of her. Rolling around from left to right and the other way around. The lights are keep as minimal as possible with only her as the main and only object. She is standing there grasping the standing microphone. Singing verse by verse of the lyrics with a longing expression. The sound of piano and violin can be heard dominating the music.

Sunyi terasa di keramaian
Sepi pun menarik lebih dalam

Akankah ada dia yang temani langkahmu....
Akankah ada dia yang terangkan jalanmu....

In the second chorus, the camera give a view of the audience reaction of Arini's performance. Most of them are captivated with her. She again making the reaching out gesture but then open wide her hands as if she is expecting something to come. The camera looking the close up of her face where she sometimes closing her eyes as if she is swimming in the lyrics of the song. Grasping the essence of the song itself.

Tak perlu engkau ragu
Ku ada disini tuk temanimu....
Raih tanganku....
Bagi denganku

As the intermission music plays, Arini take her microphone and walked elegantly to the smaller platform. The spotlight is following her movement. She is standing there at the center of the small platform and begin to sing the lyrics with only a piano accompanied her. Then the lights suddenly shine upon her, immensely. The music come back stronger with a string of violins dominate it as Arini sing the last part of the song. The camera capture Arini's expression which deeply succumb in the feeling that the song has affected her.

Tak perlu engkau ragu
Ku ada disini....

Tak perlu engkau ragu (tak ragu)
Ku ada disini tuk temanimu....
Raih tanganku....
Bagi denganku (Akankah ada dia)
Raih tanganku
Raih tanganku (Akankah ada dia)

The lights come back down with only one spotlight that shine on her. The music is also silently voicing the piano soothing vibe as Arini sing the one last verse of the song. And the lights completely shut down which makes the stage become dark.

Saat hati terbelenggu sepi

The audiences give a round of applause for the breathtaking performance of Arini. The lights in the stage come back on. Arini is seen still standing in the small platform giving a nice smile to the audiences. She is bowing and giving a namaste pose as a thanking for the positive feedback that she get from the audiences.



When the heart is shackled by loneliness
There are silences amidst the noise

Will there be someone who erases your loneliness....
Will there be someone who brightens your heart....

You don't need to hesitate
I'm here to to be your friend....
Take my hand....
Erase your loneliness

Silence felt in the crowds
Lonely also draws deeper

Will there be someone who accompany your steps....
Will there be someone who lightens up your way....

You don't need to hesitate
I'm here to to be your friend....
Take my hand....
Share with me

You don't need to hesitate
I'm here....

You don't need to hesitate (Don't hesitate)
I'm here to to be your friend....
Take my hand....
Share with me (Will there be someone)
Take my hand
Take my hand (Will there be someone)

When the heart is shackled by loneliness

Itamar: Pass Me By

PostPosted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:35 am
by Achaean Republic
XX. Achaean Republic
"Itamar" – Pass Me By

Language(s): English, Spanish
Lyrics: Itamar Maldonado
Music: Erika Robledo, Andrés Cortina
Tune:Shea Diamond - American Pie


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Itamar Maldonado is used to shattering myths and preconceptions of culture, gender identities and the dichotomy between public/private personas. Her music and art can navigate the fine line between creative and offensive, of real-life symptoms and caricature effects. She attempts to create beauty on the defensive and the offensive, a mockery of the cookie-cutter ways Achaean society tends to consume love and sex in its most expressive and downright stereotypical—the skimpy skirts, the tasteless jokes, the unnecessarily aggressive piropos thrown down the street by horny, ugly men who only see women as objects of personal, scatological desire instead of fully-formed, ideal members of society. Her vision is always a clash between the old and the new, attempting to transform the distorted imaginaries of gender and allowing new concepts to flourish.

Only if that were the message Itamar would spread in his life. She can’t even go one day in the street without someone misgendering her, sometimes intentionally in order to get a rise out of her temper. She can’t even go to a female public bathroom, or even a male public bathroom nonetheless, without being gawked at in the best moments, or jeered and humiliated in the worst. And now with a former religious figure as president, who has never been even performatively kind to the Achaean LGBTQI+ community in general, there’s an even bigger existential dread that the massive strides done in the past few years towards true equality could be erased with the stroke of a pen. As Maldonado once controversially declared in a Pink News article back in 2019 “Achaea is, and has never been, the ‘sexual paradise’ people look for in their travel brochures. Get away from the luxury and gated comfort of the artificial hotel estates that poison our beaches and look into the misery of the minority that still dare to inhabit this country.” Her sharp, cynical words drew the ire of many in the country and even from other LGBTQI+ activists who previously defended her work. But she didn’t care at all.

To be fair, though, Itamar was never one to please the masses, especially when she’s clearly talking the truth. While conditions for the Achaean LGBTQI+ community have improved in the past decade, from same-sex marriage to adoptions to the elimination of deferral periods for blood donations to the point of being considered the Caribbean’s “gay paradise,” and visibility of queer artists in competitions such as WorldVision and World Hit Festival have hit a nadir, conformity should never exist with the rest of society until true equality can be achieved—if ever. A somewhat radical noncomformist, there are always more envelopes to push, more attitudes to transform. Derided by critics as a “cultural Marxist” and a “trender,” the questions her imposing voice poses draw attention to the criticisms and transformations of Achaean culture, if they ever bother listening to her at all.

It wasn’t always like this for Itamar. Her birth name in fact, was Ismael, much like her father and her father’s father and her father’s father’s grandfather. Growing up in the city of Alvires near the Corola-Metrópolis state border, the family moved to Orongumilá, Islas Fortuna for his father’s Pentecostal missionary work. Even when young, Israel always felt significant discomfort with her thin frame, big nose and dark skin, all the while wearing pants and suits and ties and carrying a small Bible on his hand for six out of seven days a week. The constant pressure of portraying as a Bible-thumping, tongue-speaking hypocrite who felt such internal discomfort in masculinity. But the discomfort was not only physical: this was a spiritual, emotional, psychological struggle to initiate a conversation between herself over the emotions coursing through her body. (Reader, you might notice the pronouns have changed from feminine to masculine and then to feminine again; this is the struggle Ismael, who later became Itamar, faced within her spirit.) The constant exposure to religion also soured her into organized religion—which is why her first album, Crucifixion!! caused so much controversy in the Achaean alternative community because it served as both a defense and an indictment of Christianity and, more so, its complex gender roles. The physical discomfort that translated into her body slowly grew into hatred, and that almost poisoned her.

This is why when she became a teenager, she took the Manamma route and decided to turn her rebellion into a sledgehammer. She turned to Santería, a religion she considered to be much more tolerant for trans people. She went to clubs as a minor and hung out in raves while stealing her mom’s skirts and dresses, making major modifications with the help of a friendly tailor. In this period of confusion and rebellion, of experimentation and frustration, she attempted to define herself as a woman. It was at this juncture that, on her journey to become the woman she always wanted to be, Israel would secretly name herself Itamar, an originally male Biblical name, as a mark of respect to her heritage and her own identity.

Originally written in English, Pass Me By is “a poem, a symbol, a declaration of my own empowerment” in Itamar’s own words. “I’ve said many times that I can use my voice to create my own matriarchy, but I need to create one within myself first.” Another radical departure from her transgressive, alternative roots, the song maintains her confessional structure and delves into soul and R&B, two genres she always wanted to challenge and perfect her voice in.




Itamar always enjoyed taking a stroll through the ports. The twenty-degree weather felt bitingly cold enough to have small dewdrops in her sweater, but warm enough that the sun could dry them quickly from her ebony skin. She was walking with the sweater she bought for the trip—a light-blue jacket and a fresh set of bottom-hugging jeans. Her hair had small red-orange highlights on the frosty tips and she carried a purse. And of course, she had her mask on, but she quickly put it on and off whenever nobody was looking at her so she could get a breath of fresh air. Pardon to the Normands and Picards, but this was one of the very few times she could enjoy quarantine-free travel in business class to a chic European destination.

Ports are always busy, dingy and sketchy—or so felt parts of Puerto Ámbar or Rosario. But she felt some comfort and the coming and going of different boats and barges carrying stuff up and down the pier. But Le Havre felt different. It didn’t feel like a gray, stale collection of storage rooms and cruise ships that only carried annoying tourists asking for pictures. There was something calming, relaxing about Le Havre. Nobody knew her. Nobody remembered her. Nobody questioned her. And that felt refreshing. While she waited for a chance to drink some white wine and enjoy some moules frites as the woman she deserved to be.




Once the Achaean postcard was done and the cameras returned to the cheering crowds at La Havre, the stage was suddenly illuminated with the nation’s typical red-blue-green colors. A few Achaeans, always loud and boisterous, could be heard waving their flags and speaking Spanish to each other during the few seconds before the transition. For those that were present—and especially to progressive Achaeans—, it was a scene to behold: for the first time, a trans woman would represent the fueguero nation on the World Hit Festival, and it was a point of pride and honor that, despite the somewhat uneven forces against the community in recent times, there are still opportunities to be forged and glass ceilings to be broken.

Itamar, however, did not care about any inspirational applications; she only wanted to sing her song and get off the stage. Not that she didn’t enjoy her time in Le Havre; however, despite maintaining an outlandish, offensive persona, she tried to be practical in her stage presence and management. With the stage lights about to turn on, she only needed to breathe in and breathe out for a few brief moments. She needed to forget about the many times she felt humiliated over being misgendered, or the many microaggressions she faced from society and even her own friends and family over a misunderstanding—not necessarily supporting—her journey. She had to dismiss the critics that questioned her “unwomanly postures” or those pesky trolling radical feminists that couldn’t ignore a woman succeeding as well. That needed to be forgotten, for at least a few minutes.

Then, a light turned on and Itamar was in full view. She wore a white maxi-dress-style butterfly dress that looked like a cross between a kimono and a kaftan. Unlike other fashion choices, this one came from her own closet, being the one she normally uses for some rituals that do not require certain ceremonial sacrifices. It was long, flowy, and elegant, something she would never bother to wear in public (her style concentrates on blacks and greys and reds, intense colors and leathery substances better suited to her industrial fashion). She also wore an off-white cotton headwrap with gold trimmings that reminisced of the tignons imposed to Louisiana black and Creole women in the 18th century. This head-wrap, though, also had space for her to let her golden-brown locks flow. (She joked to paparazzi, “If I bought it, then it’s real!” whenever they shamefully asked if her hair was real or not.) Then again, this was a radically different look than the one she would typically use on the stage. But it’s always important to switch it up sometimes.

Unlike other performances, her countenance and tone of voice was much more contemplative and not as aggressive or repulsive—she used the word repulsive to describe the alienation she wanted to provoke with her music. Instead, she started off singing with her eyes half-gazed on the floor, breathing heavily but not audibly towards the microphone stand, trying to settle her unusual nerves and keeping her cool. Behind her in the center platform, there were her vocalists and musicians, a collection of enbies and nonbinaries that had great voices and auditioned alongside Itamar to perform in Le Havre. Behind them, the stage had blue and white and golden tones on the LED screens that looked more like ink blots akin to a Rorscharch test or the waves of the sea.

Instead, Itamar began her performance with a black-and-white screen barring the bling, with different camera angles capturing each of the verses of the first stanza. As much as she tried to keep a steady face and calm her nerves, it’s impossible for her not to live her fantasy as a soul chanteuse, a conception of femininity she thought it was nigh impossible for a woman of her frame to portray.

Unlike other performances, her countenance and tone of voice was much more contemplative and not as aggressive or repulsive—she used the word repulsive to describe the alienation she wanted to provoke with her music. Instead, she started off singing with her eyes half-gazed on the floor, breathing heavily but not audibly towards the microphone stand, trying to settle her unusual nerves and keeping her cool. Behind her in the center platform, there were her vocalists and musicians, a collection of enbies and nonbinaries that had great voices and auditioned alongside Itamar to perform in Le Havre. Behind them, the stage had blue and white and golden tones on the LED screens that looked more like ink blots akin to a Rorscharch test or the waves of the sea.

Instead, Itamar began her performance with a black-and-white screen barring the bling, with different camera angles capturing each of the verses of the first stanza. As much as she tried to keep a steady face and calm her nerves, it’s impossible for her not to live her fantasy as a soul chanteuse, a conception of femininity she thought it was nigh impossible for a woman of her frame to portray.

I’ve been told that I am bound to waste my youth
Because I’m not afraid to live tested, tried and true
It’s the wrath I’ve faced, I’ve been made so new
The darkness of life won’t leave me blue


It was hard for Itamar to not think of other Achaean performances in the Festival, which always involved some type of movement, be it upwards or downwards or sideways. Yet she was standing, holding tight to her microphone, crooning her discontent to people she never even met before, judging her looks, judging her womanhood, judging herself. Despite all the nimble acrobatics and feats of prowess she could throw at a number—she was a child of the streets, after all—Itamar needed to balance her insecurities with her self-worth. It filled her with anger. It filled her with sadness. The bright cameras were blinding her. The music was too loud. She worried she’d trip on her dress and pratfall down the stage in front of the Multiverse. She worried the backing track would mess up the vocalists’ performances. Too much was going on, and that made her feel powerless all at once.

Flesh and bones, they waste and I’m burning
On fire and glass I bleed and I’m hurting
Who’s to say that looks cannot deceive?
I cannot escape yet I’m skirting
The rules of lie that are always diverting
Who’s to say that looks cannot deceive?


The Spidercam had a frame at Itamar’s body, to which it then retreated to a wide pan view of her in the smaller stage, surrounded by a sea of flags and cheering fans—the Achaeans being prominently the loudest—and providing a view of the stage and the metal “twirl” twinkling with lights. This made the LED “sea” behind her look foamy and somewhat bioluminescent, like the ones on those beaches at night she hasn’t gone to yet. But it was time to work the performance and worry about beaches whenever she has the time to pull a quick vacation.

Her countenance had to be serious and restrained, forceful and brooding like those aforementioned jazz chanteuses. She was never used to take herself so seriously—in private, at least—, yet she needed to present herself as not only serious, but an awkward contradiction between aggrieved and resigned. Instead of loops and theatrics and a few curse words she could slap on for the sake of “art,” Itamar now had to rely on the power of her voice and the strength of her emotional gravitas and hope this would be enough to convince the Multiverse to vote for her. It was hard to not feel agreed for what many critics, even many queer feminists in her country, as they questioned the “minstrel-ness of oppression”, especially with the many intertextualities of her performance: “a black, trans, Latin American woman that, despite her haunting voice and performative accolades, she still feels forced to beg for likes to a hetero-patriarchal world,” wrote one blogger whom she knows was not quite fond of her presence. The criticism, the psychobabble she was used to. But she was always aware of any movements and ulterior motives, more so when she was determined to not let life…pass her by. The anger was there, yes, but that anger transformed into resolution. And that was the resolution she needed to harness.

Don’t want the rest of life to pass me by
What is love, what to try
Enjoy my hands and enjoy my time
Don’t want the rest of life to pass me by
Let the world see what I can see
Let them wake up and see how I’m complete


Now she has to sing the part in Spanish. She didn’t mind singing in English, even if Itamar felt she wasn’t proficient enough yet. Of course, she needed to respect the broadcaster’s wishes if she wanted to take the trip to Le Havre—getting out of the contract would be a pain—but if she were honest, she would’ve lobbied to avoid the language switch. But that was her opinion, and that cannot serve as a petty distraction. Itamar has been distracted enough by the forces. Nevertheless, she slowly and tenderly grabbed the microphone stand. It felt weird to keep one position while singing and limiting any sharp movements that would not keep into the song’s tone. She closed her eyes, breathed in, breathed out, and opened them up again. She kept the gaze at the camera, and to the Multiversal viewer at home, watching the performance. It was the time to let the resolution in her mind and body speak for itself. Maybe she should just change her line of work to soul and R&B.

Me han dicho que voy a perder mi juventud
Porque no pierdo el miedo de probar mi virtud
Mi mente se hizo libre de la esclavitud
Y ahora mis días tienen tanta gratitud


In English, she thought, the words sounded quite smooth and reflective. In Spanish, however, the lyrics felt iridescent and determined. She could be both at the same time or place it in different compartments and take them out when need be. It was—damn you, focus! Itamar immediately smacked her neck with the back of her hand as she closed her eyes and wrinkled her neck to the side, making it look like she was involving herself in the performance. (She was, yes, but she also had a terrible pain in the neck after sleeping in an oddly shaped bed and carrying the tension of these last days while rehearsing.) Movements like these would drive them interested, they said, showing a bit of vulnerability, they followed.

The LED screens behind the performers turned from blues and whites and golden wavy patterns to intense crimson and vermillion that also reflected on Itamar’s white gown. From angelical and feminine and aspirational—cunt, cunt, cunt—, a muted but primal energy was bleeding through the stage. It was hard to not think of the many costly surgeries she did in order to make herself look feminine. The humiliations of going to the women’s bathroom and weaning back at the very last minute in order to avoid inducing discomfort to other women…even though she was one. The hormones that made her puke many times over, or the dates that immediately rejected her when they knew she was trans. She was tired—no, definitely, she was tired.

Con la piel y mis huesos quemando
En fuego y vidrio hiriendo y sangrando
¿Quién dijo que el sembante no engañará?
No puedo escapar, mas bordeando
Las reglas de la vida desviando
¿Quién dijo que el sembante no engañará?


Then came the chorus—in Spanish. Like before, she had to look serious and restrained, her voice sultry and ethereal and haunting and a little bit more. In English, Itamar grew more comfortable with the fantasy. In Spanish, though, she felt like she had to struggle to convey the many emotions in her words. That was the word she was looking for: a struggle. It may sound ephemeral and a little bit vain, but even transitioning between two completely distinct languages brought a bittersweet reminder of her own journey. Someone told her years ago, she can’t remember who, that “Everything that is beautiful deserves to be transformed, like a butterfly flapping its wings once it leaves the cocoon.” This she kept with her throughout this time of transition from Israel to Itamar; from rejection to acclamation; from ignominy to infamy. Changing from one language to another also mean conforming so many perspectives into a condensed pair of words that may not even make sense. But yet, she had to keep transforming.

The Spidercam was elevated around Itamar’s waist and zoomed out from afar, almost watching her become engulfed by the flag-waving, hand-raising audience. From this position, as well as the camera on rails, showed her standing with a hand on her microphone stand, another arm moving up and down the air, her body moving and shaking that moved her dress. Then, a slight fog enveloped the stage, covering her feet. She could also feel the little dew drops forming below her feet. The LED screens and the light emanating from them would shine their colors and project them onto the opaque mist. Blue. Pink. Silver or bone white. Pastels. There was a reason, but she didn’t want to be pushy.

No quiero que la vida se haga pasar
¿Qué es el amor? ¿Qué hay que intentar?
Disruto mis manos, mi tiempo igual
No quiero que la vida se haga pasar
Que el mundo vea lo que veo y
Que se despierte una nueva razón


She was born to live, made to love, ready to win. Or at least those were the affirmations she lived by. Now, it was time to switch from English and Spanish while the vocalists keep vamping their vocals from behind her. It was also time to reflect, to show her vocal prowess, her grip and iron grit. You need it when living in Achaea. But now she needed to envelop herself in the music and take this to the end, if there ever was one. If she could not appreciate her own talents, who would do that for her? If she cannot regale herself in her womanhood, who would do that for her. The cameras were staring down Itamar’s countentance, circling around her in the smaller platform and providing brief, side-angle glances of the cheering, flag-waving, barely socially distanced (and hopefully vaccinated) crowds that were present in Le Havre. But it was time to bring closure. She needed it.

Don’t want the rest of life to pass me by
What is love, what to try
Enjoy my hands and enjoy my time
Don’t want the rest of life to pass me by
Let the world see what I can see
Let them wake up and see how I’m complete

No quiero que la vida se haga pasar
¿Qué es el amor? ¿Qué hay que intentar?
Disruto mis manos, mi tiempo igual
No quiero que la vida se haga pasar
Que el mundo vea lo que veo y
Que se despierte una nueva razón


Once the music died down and the cheering crowds could be heard in full force, Itamar placed her right hand to her heart and took a bow. Her backup singers, good friends she made along the way, also blew kisses and waved at the audience. Itamar, on the other hand, blew kisses at the crowd in every directions and said to her microphone, “¡Gracias, Le Havre! Merci beaucoup!” before quickly leaving the stage. She was grateful she finished the performance without a hitch, yes. But she also wanted to do it again and again.

[align=center]I’ve been told that I am bound to waste my youth
Because I’m not afraid to live tested, tried and true
It’s the wrath I’ve faced, I’ve been made so new
The darkness of life won’t leave me blue

Flesh and bones, they waste and I’m burning
On fire and glass I bleed and I’m hurting
Who’s to say that looks cannot deceive?
I cannot escape yet I’m skirting
The rules of lie that are always diverting
Who’s to say that looks cannot deceive?

Don’t want the rest of live to pass me by
What is love, what to try
Enjoy my hands and enjoy my time
Don’t want the rest of life to pass me by
Let the world see what I can see
Let them wake up and see how I’m complete

I’ve been told that I am bound to waste my youth
Because I’m not afraid to try out my virtue
My mind has been made from all slavish fools
And now my days have so much gratitude

Flesh and bones, they waste and I’m burning
On fire and glass I bleed and I’m hurting
Who’s to say that looks cannot deceive?
I cannot escape yet I’m skirting
The rules of lie that are always diverting
Who’s to say that looks cannot deceive?

Don’t want the rest of live to pass me by
What is love, what to try
Enjoy my hands and enjoy my time
Don’t want the rest of life to pass me by
Let the world see what I can see
Let them wake up and see how I’m complete

Don’t want the rest of live to pass me by
What is love, what to try
Enjoy my hands and enjoy my time
Don’t want the rest of life to pass me by
Let the world see what I can see
Let them wake up and see how I’m complete

Don’t want the rest of live to pass me by
What is love, what to try
Enjoy my hands and enjoy my time
Don’t want the rest of life to pass me by
Let the world see what I can see
Let them wake up and see how I’m complete

PostPosted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:45 am
by Carrelie
XX. Carrelie
"All that Way" - Fiona and the Barrows

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Lùisadhe Barrow
Music: Lùisadhe Barrow, Fiona Barrow
Tune: The Proclaimers - Letter from America (Sunshine on Leith version)


Prelude

What a year it had been for Carrelie. From the election of Empress Edith-Marie to the situation in Achanor, there had been highs and lows and CarrelieOne was ready to enter WHF again. This time they again held an internal selection among the nations of Carrelie...
April 15th, 2021 - Densmouth Hall, Densmouth, Dentricia

V: "Fiona é ve Barrows, dieze!"
"Fiona é ve Barrows, dieze!"
"Sophie, dieze!"
"Fiona é ve Barrows, dieze!"
"Fiona é ve Barrows, dieze!"
"Dolce Vita, dieze!"
"And finally, the winner of the Sondienne oú Canerila, Fiona é ve Barrows, dieze! Congratulations!"
And that's how it went. Unlike Eurosong 1983, there was very little booing this time, in fact, there was a resounding cheer! The heartfelt lyrics and soulful vocals really went down well with the audience and Carrelie as a whole, and everyone was proud to be represented by such a lovely group!

Fiona & the Barrows

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Barrow siblings Fiona (31), Liabhrann (26), Lùisadhe (30) and Sìoltach (28), shown in the above image anti-clockwise from the top, migrated from Scotland to Arianos when they were only children, after their father left them for New Douria and never returned. Their mother made barely enough to support them, and thus they spent a lot of time outside. It was on one of these days when the four would stumble upon something that would change their lives forever.

A normal day had came and went, when at 7pm, Fiona and her siblings were walking home from the park. Their trek had been long and unforgiving, but Sìoltach was still rather alert. The sun was just setting when out of the corner of his eye he saw a strange contraption lying in a bush, nearly untouched. It had strings that twanged like no other, an acoustic sound - it was a guitar!

Sìoltach took to the guitar quickly, learning everything with haste under the watchful eye of his mother. Fiona and Lùisadhe began singing, and Liabhrann fashioned drums out of pots and pans - everything was coming together! The four played and played into the night, and attracted local crowds playing covers of popular folk songs, soon catching the eye of a few big names in the music industry. They soon became Arianosien child stars and a display of perseverance against unfavourable circumstances.

They began releasing tracks of their own, each telling its own story. From "Days Now and Forever", a song about their time outside, to "Scraping By", about their mother's financial situation, songs were recieved well by the community, and thus winning a ticket to compete in Songs of Carrelie, the chance to represent Carrelie at the World Hit Festival.

Performance

Fiona walks up to the stage alone, looking across the audience with a smile. Her dress glides across the floor as she traverses to the centre, up to the microphone. Her smile fades as the stage darkens, except for one light shining directly on her.

While you’re gone all that way can you tell us you wanna come back,
Then we’ll know that you love us, even if you’re in New Douria.

Another light turns on, revealing Lùisadhe on the platform, wearing this to contrast with Fiona, whose light quickly turns off, leaving only Lùisadhe in focus. A guitar and drums seem to appear from the stage.

Just send us a letter, a call and hey,
You could always tell us ‘bout that thousand miles away.
You sailed Caerwskwr, to Reconnaitras,
We’re all still thinkin’ ‘bout you, so please can you come back?

Lùisadhe's light cuts out, and a light turns on in the same position Fiona was in, now revealing Sìoltach, who is strumming a guitar. He's dressed in a suit and is sitting on a stool with the microphone in front of him.

While you’re gone all that way can you tell us you wanna come back,
Then we’ll know that you love us, even if you’re in New Douria.

Sìoltach's light stays on, and Lùisadhe's is also turned on, revealing Fiona too. The LED screens illuminate to show scenes of the ocean and islands.

I’ve tried to picture, how your life’s goin’,
Big business trips and livin’ high and trav’lin’ over Nove an’ Donwin
We should’ve told ya, never let us go,
But we always come last place, we’re always just too slow.
While you’re gone all that way can you tell us you wanna come back,
Then we’ll know that you love us, even if you’re in New Douria.

Sìoltach continues playing the guitar as the lights die down, the stage now only illuminated by spotlights.

What’d you love more, St William’s or home?
Gafrey or home?
There or home?
What’d you love more, St William’s or us?
Gafrey or us?
There or us?
What’d you love more, St William’s or home?
Gafrey or home?
There or home?

All the lights cut out, and a light on the stage's east fades in, revealing Liabhrann on the drums. His thick accent definitely adds some flair to his verse.

We don’t know why, you haven’t returned,
Even when you’re longin’, to leave the promised land.
Do you even want to? Will you soon return?
We can only speculate, and tell, oh, how it hurts.

All lights now illuminate, showing all four siblings on the stage as they all sing in unison

While you’re gone all that way can you tell us you wanna come back,
Then we’ll know that you love us, even if you’re in New Douria.

The lights once again die, now revealing each sibling one by one, starting with Liabhrann, then Fiona, then Sìoltach, then Lùisadhe.

Will you come home, please just come home,
Please just come home,
We want you home.
Will you come home, please just come home,
Please just come home,
We want you home.
Can you come home, please just come home,
Please just come home,
We want you home.
Can you come home, please just come home,
Please just come home,
We want you home.

Only Lùisadhe is illuminated now, sitting on a stool facing the audience. Her tearful conclusion is strong yet so very gentle.

You sailed Caerwskwr, to Reconnaitras,
We’re all still thinkin’ ‘bout you, so please can you come back?

It had been done. The Barrow siblings had achieved one of their great dreams, though there are many yet to go. Who knows what's next for them?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 7:04 am
by North Alezia
XX. North Alezia
"Atas Nama Sang Cinta" - Aminah Al Laila

Title Transcription: -none-
Title Translation: In The Name of Love
Language(s): Indonesian
Lyrics: Aminah Al Laila
Music: Aminah Al Laila, Andi Robi Idris Novogrody
Tune: Nina Zilli - Per Sempre


BACKGROUND

North Alezia has been participating in the World Hit Festival every edition since its debut in the 52nd edition held in Monterra, Kalosia. And even with the pandemic still raging back then, North Alezia still hold on to a respectable 6th place for its debut. And after that, North Alezia continues to participate and earn top 10 every single edition, where in 55, North Alezia almost won the competition, and the edition after, North Alezia earned its worst result, which is 10th place.

Previously, to the surprise of North Alezian bookies who booked Ainii for the trophy, Ainii has to go home with 6th place. A very surprising one, especially considering that Andi Robi Idris Novogrody was on board at the whole thing. The result surely shook Robi, and he wanted to try one more time.

The team got shook considering that at moments of preparation, a referendum which they participated at yet never expect to pass, resulted in a landslide pass. The referendum is concering about the future of the Alezian Islands, which is to be reunified by 1st of May. This also brings a problem to the ABA, because while the reunification ceremony will be held at the 27th of April, the results are not going to be announced until a few days later. At this point, ABA cannot withdrew and they don't plan to even if the geopolitical condition of the lands are going to be a little tremor-y. After a discussion between ABA and The Preparation Committee of the Alezian Union was held, it was decided that North Alezia is allowed to continue its participation on this edition of the World Hit Festival. This edition is also the first time that a show is broadcasted to all of the Alezian Union solely from ABA. Should North Alezia won, a discussion between the ABA and the WHF board is planned in order to discuss whether to allow the Alezian Union to continue North Alezia's record and let the country host, or if it's not allowed which means that the hosting must be given to the country who got second.

ARTIST INFORMATION
Image


Aminah Al-Laila is a North Alezian (for now) singer. She was born in Al Masabilka, ZF at 27th of June 1993. Aminah has shown talent since she was maybe around four to five years old, where she would sang her favorite song, even to date, called "Felicidaeux" by Romers Touvalhavais.

She was a pretty good student, even if her grades are not really that stellar, but still good. She finished her tertiary education at the Millenial University of Zafizamarrah in International Relations and Diplomacy, where she would go on to start her diplomacy education to be a high-level diplomat. However, fate has something else for her.

She eventually went on to participate in Al Masabilka's selection for the Zafizamarrah Grand Amour Song Festival in 2017, where she won easily and got 2nd in the Grand Amour. Grand Amour is also the place where she started her gig as a singer which is something she wanted to do as a somewhat kind of a side job. She was and is still signed to ABA Records Zafizamarrah, which is massive considering that she was new back then and she's already in the big records.

From her debut in 2017, Aminah has released so many hits with the most popular being "Casual City Girl" in 2018 where she tried city pop, where it actually worked. Other than that, she has released three albums called "Duty", "Free", and "Por Favor" (Aminah said that it was a coincidence that her album names created a phrase)

Lately, Aminah got the chance to try for Alma Season Six. She first sung her song called "When Love is a Stranger". The song won the selection to Alma representing the capital, which got massive pressure due to them not winning anymore. Aminah got second in Alma, to the surprise of many. However, that is not the end. Because ABA contacted her after Season Seven to ask her to sing her song again to go against Season Seven's runner up, Ethan Clarkes. Aminah ended up winning by a 3-1 international vote, and got selected to represent North Alezia in the 58th World Hit Festival.

Aminah would've gone to Le Havre with the song "When Love is a Stranger", however, some ABA meeting later, and Aminah is asked to write a new song due to unknown reasons that might only be known by Aminah and ABA. And ABA called the same guy who write the previous entry, Andi Robi Idris Novogrody, to help her writing the new North Alezian entry.

SONG INFORMATION


"Atas Nama Sang Cinta" talks about how someone loses trust of love and feels that love is evil and is the one that has created instability of human emotions. The song teaches its listener to not let love defeat reason, as both needs to be complimenting each other, not one stepping on the other.

Image


PERFORMANCE


(The postcard ended, The camera view starts a little bit further away from the stage. A bit of violin starts being played, slowly lighting on the stage lights, lighting up the twirl slowly yet very steadily, revealing Aminah in a gown and a standing microphone in front of her)

Rasa cinta itu
Menusuk tajam ke hatiku
Rasa cinta yang menyakitkanku
Cinta yang memabukkanku


(The camera view changes to show Aminah herself in detail, without any backing dancers or backing singers. The background LCD shows stars moving at the same direction slowly

Rasa cinta itu
Menggetarkan dunia dan seisinya
Rasa cinta yang menghancurkan hati manusia
Beserta isi s'luruhnya


(Coming at the reff, the lights starts becoming much more visible and the overhead lights starts moving around at various direction while one stays at the same position pointing at Aminah while Aminah spreads her hands and moving it slowly, and the background changes to show more moving stars but now much further away with visible amount of trees
Karena Atas Nama Sang Cinta
Cinta yang palsu dan menipu
Cinta yang memilukan, dan yang menyedihkan
Apa artinya?

Karena Atas Nama Sang Cinta
Hatiku dipaksa tuk tetap tegar
Apa artinya? Aku berdoa, pada yang Maha Kuasa...


(The reff ends, and the lights all became dim again, a split second of darkness, then the background LCD once again shows the same footage of stars moving at the same direction slowly), One overhead light lights upon Aminah where we can see Aminah moving her right knee slowly to the slow beat.)

Cinta itu
Tanpa kompromi, tiada ampun
Perasaan diri yang membuatmu merenungi
Isi nyata hati


(Still doing the same thing, the camera zooms in at Aminah slowly from far away. Aminah spreads her hands slowly as well.)

Dan Rasa cinta itu
Ia bagaikan pisau bermata dua
Ia bisa buatmu bersuka ria
Kemudian kau berduka


(A split second before the reff starts, the all lights turns off and the twirls starts lighting up from left to right. And suddenly all lights turns on and the camera view changes to a top down view of the stage, slowly turning 360 degrees around the stage. At the "Hatiku hancur..." part of the reff, Aminah puts her right hand at her heart and then points her hand upwards. And after that, all lights turns off again slowly and carefully. only leaving her sillhouette visible.)

Karena Atas Nama Sang Cinta
Aku korbankan semua untuknya
Aku hilang arah, aku terfokus padanya
Apa artiku?

[box]Karena Atas Nama Sang Cinta
Aku tak tahu harus berjalan kemana lagi
Hatiku hancur, ku berdoa pada yang Maha Esa


(The lights turn on again and the colour changes to red, including the twirl. The view is changed to the camera positioned in front of Aminah, which shows a serious face while singing the incoming parts)

Cinta itu jahat, dan kejam,
Membelah,
Tak dapat diprediksi,
Penuh dendam dengan bara panas api,
Mencurangi, dengan kata kata cinta yang fiksi
Dan semua dengan mudahnya terjatuh


(The view changes to once again a top view of the stage, rotating 360 degrees, while the smoke machine is activated slowly but surely giving an ambience, then the view changes to once again the front view, where Aminah spreads her hands "soaring the sky")
Ku hanya bisa berharap, berdoa
Bahwa cinta tak kan menyakiti aku
Ku hanya ingin, tuk bahagia
Dengan cinta yang, tak hancurkanku
Ku hanya tahu, isi dalam hati, dan kekuatanku...
dan Inginku....


(Before the reff, the camera view changes per drum beat. First near front view, then overhead, then right side, then left side, and finally for the reff, all lights are turned on again and a transition of swishing the picture to the right was used and the view stays the far front view, while Aminah spreads her hand. At the second sentence, a steadicam walks around Aminah and Aminah looks at the steadicam while it walks around and exited the stage, which then the view returns to the far view where the camera zooms in slowly to Aminah)

Sang Cinta..... Uuuuuu... YEAH!
Ku harus tegar, ku harus kuat hadapi sang realita
Karena, Atas Nama Sang Cinta
Ku harus kuat melawan palsu cinta


(The zoom in continues, until the range is too far that it changes to the near front view, and at the "Demi hatiku..." sentence, the twirl lights on from left to right, and Aminah pivoted 90 degrees to the left slowly, with her left leg in front of her right leg. while slowly raising her hand to face the left side while continuing to face the camera until the instrumental ends.)

Demi hatiku, aku kuat, melawan kejam Sang Cinta
Uoooh....


(The instrumental ends, and the audience applaused the last North Alezian song in the World Hit Festival. Aminah pivoted back facing the front and bowed while saying "Shukran Kasiira, thank you very much... Merci Beaucoup."

Love is
Stabs hard into my heart
Love that is painful to me
Love th drunkens me

Love is
The one that shook the world and its contents
Love that destroys a human
and his/her inside

Because in the name of love
Love that is fake and cheats
Love that is heartbreaking and saddening
What does it mean?

Because in the name of love
My heart is forced to stay tough
What does it mean? I pray... To the Almighty

Love is
Without compromise, Without mercy
Feelings inside that makes you contemplate
What is your true feelings inside your heart?

And love is
It's like a double sided knife
It can make you happy
Then make you grieve

And in the name of Love
I sacrifice everything for it
I lost my way, I focused myself on it
What do I mean?

And in the name of Love
I don't know where to go anymore
I'm heartbroken, I prayed to the Almighty

Love is evil, and cruel
Dividing,
Unpredictable,
Full of grudges and the heat of fire
Cheats, with fictional love words
And it all easily falls apart

I can only hope, pray
That love won't hurt me
I only wanted to be happy
With love that won't destroy me
I only know what is in my heart, and my strength
And my wants

Love... Oooooh.... YEAH!
I have to be strong, I have to face the reality
Because, in the name of Love
I have to be strong fighting against fake love

For my heart, I'm strong, fighting against Love

PostPosted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 7:26 am
by Auphelia
XX. Auphelia
"Lonely Skies" - Polly Hardon

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Polly Hardon
Music: Polly Hardon
Tune: Tune!


The Story So Far . . .


The Mother Empress

Disgusted was not strong enough to encompass the depth and breadth of fury that came from the Court of the Mother Empress Bernadette. Her howl scared bird into flight and seemed to chase away the sun, the palace darkening under the storm of her anger. Attendants and priestesses scuttled out of sight of full red skirts as they swished across the smooth stone floors of the palace, her personal retinue of servants and representatives struggling to keep up with her furious pace. This was not a good time for the Mother Empress. Some might even consider it decidedly bad. The old Empress of Unity, may her Majesty reign forever, had died a month ago already and now pressure was coming from all sides as the High Mothers demanded she find the reincarnation of the Empress for the next cycle. Now it seemed she couldn't go an hour without some missive from the High Mother of the City of Dark Earth Belying Bountiful Extraction demanding the search begin for the next incarnation of the Goddess in her city or that witch, the High Mother of the City of Calms Waters Birthing Strong Reeds, making moves to reconvene the Mothers and reassess the astrological charts from the day of the last Empress' death. A threat to remove her and replace her with another, explaining a simple misreading of the charts. Oh, they were out to get her, she knew. All revered the last Empress, and indeed all Empresses, but all she was was a stand-in until the next incarnation received her first blood and came of age. All of the pomp and power of an Empress with all too little of the absolute divine authority. Perhaps she had made a mistake. These periods of transition were always precarious for the imperial rule, and her recent reforms had certainly not done much to earn her goodwill. In what some considered a direct slap in the face to the imperial directive of the last Empress, she had decided to make steps towards sending Auphelian culture into the world after a century of isolation. Yet the very first time she sent out cultural representatives onto the international stage, they had been humiliated. How dare - how dare! - she be humiliated in such a way! And she was not the only one feeling the hot wash of shame. Oh, how she had been lambasted by the Doyennes, sending their three most revered Serenities to introduce the choir and now forcing them to share in the international humiliation. It was all just too much. She couldn't afford the days or weeks of prayer and study and consultation it would take to identify the child born as the new incarnation of the Goddess, now a month-old child, not with all she had to do. Auphelia had to change its policies. The world was moving on while her nation was stuck in the past in too many ways. But if she did not find the new Empress, and soon, she knew she would be struck down by her former colleagues. If she could just redeem her cultural outreach initiative, she might be able to save it before she had to go find the new Empress. But how?

Polly Hardon

Image


An icon.

A legend.

Polly Hardon is beloved by millions, billions. The most successful artist of her generation and an undeniable star in the music industry, she is revered as a cultural treasure and philanthropist. Her career had only lasted a decade so far and yet no one could deny she had reshaped the modern image of her chosen genre. So when it was announced she would be representing the notoriously closed off nation of Auphelia (which had only just come off a disastrous defeat at the most recent Worldvision) in the 58th World Hit Festival, the media was abuzz with the strangeness of the pairing. What would make a multi-multi-platinum artist who was known for her championing of humans rights decide to lend her talents to a nation widely condemned for its dismissal of democracy and refusal to engage with the international community for decades?

Though she avoided interviews for the first weeks after the announcements, when she arrived in Le Havre and spent the day touring the city, she finally relented after arriving back to her hotel, addressing multiple reporters who had been trailing her all day. Her blonde hair and bright eyes gleaming in the warm light of the upscale entrance of her high-class hotel, she merely had a question for the reporters.

"Hon, if you got offered a sapphire the size of your head to sing a little song, what would you do?"


The Performance


The stage was nearly invisible in the darkness and fog - and dear god, the fog was thick. However many machines it took to fill the stage and much of the floor seating with it, any guess would likely be an underestimate. The soft shuffling and clanging of instruments and stands being set up was audible from the stage as the act set up. In the faint glow of the screens of various bored World Hit Festival attendees as they scrolled on their mobile devices, the faint outlines of people and what looked like some sort of large blob - a piano, perhaps? - could be made out by those that cared to peer into the fog.

After a scant few seconds of this, Polly Hardon herself emerges, a spotlight shining down upon her, catching the swirling wisps of fog as it coils around her. The jewels on her dress wink out, nearly as dazzling as her small smile, just a flash of teeth enough to enamour the room. The thin white fabric of her sleeve waves as she greets the audience, comfortably holding a pastel blue guitar. Her star power is evident, even to those who have never seen her. Polly has whatever it is, that special something that makes someone so impossibly likeable. Set against the dark and foggy background of the stage, she stands as a beacon of light under the shining beam of the spotlight.

"Hey there, folks! How ya'll doin' tonight? Good?"

The audience cheers out in scattered patches, receptive to her but anxious with anticipation for the performance.

"Well that's just peachy! Now I've got a song for you tonight, and it's on something real close to my heart, and I know a lot of you can relate. I call it 'Lonely Skies'."

She begins to strum her guitar, a slow and light melody, fresh with a faintly bitter edge. The arena is practically bursting with energy, the slow build as they eagerly wait to see what comes.

"Love can't always last forever, and that can be a real bad thing. Oh, I know I've made mistakes of my own a'plenty . . . but that doesn't mean it's over. No, no. Because love is something you can't ever give up on, and there's a beauty in finding a way to move on from a love that's gone. And so here we are, you, me, and the music . . .

Image


She continues the tune for a few second before singing, her voice sweet and simple.

Sometimes I can’t help but cry
Every time I see the sky
Memories, our distant past come haunting evermore
I can’t relive this pain again
I just can’t keep playing pretend
Sometimes I can’t help but cry, when will the light return?


A piano and other guitar, or perhaps a banjo, accompany her, and a few voices come out of the darkness to back her up in some places. These other musicians and singers layer beautifully over her, creating a fuller sound to cradle her glorious voice. The lights join in as well - or at least what can be seen of them. The twisting arc structure above everyone glows faintly through the fog in shifting colours ranging from a pastel sea foam colour to a lavender or petal pink, all just a bit muted and grey. The light diffuses through the fog, filling the stage with the soft colours.

The stars remind me of you
I can’t forget I loved you
Murmurs of our long gone love drifting on the wind
Why can’t you let me leave here?
Why couldn’t you just live here?
Why must I suffer on now, staring at darkened skies . . .


Image


Polly is a vision of loveliness, her white form swaying in front of a weeping audience. Only the most hard-hearted of miserable curmudgeons could resist her charms in person, the overwhelming scope of her emotional performance touching the hearts of all those present.

Sometimes I can’t help but cry
Memories, our distant past come haunting evermore
I can’t relive this pain again
I just can’t keep playing pretend
Sometimes I can’t help but cry, when will the light return?


The colours of the fog become slightly less muted, from dusty to pastel, a small amount of vibrancy coinciding with the notes of optimism infecting the song, Polly leading her flock out of the valley of despair, catharsis achieved and giving way to that gloriously clean feeling, tears excising years of feelings left unconfronted.

Petals begin to fall around her from the ceiling and bright pinpricks of light begin to appear above her, a few more coming on with each note until the stage is a galaxy of stars, the fog and its many colours a nebulous mass of cosmic beauty. Still, Polly sings her song.

But maybe I can be fine
Seen you for the last time
Eternity lost with you, our days spread out like sun
My tears poured down like summer rain
But now spring skies can heal my pain
And happiness flows freely, a sea of stars shining above


The stage begins to brighten, the screens behind Polly glowing, slowly turning the fog white as the arch above takes on a more pastel yellow effect. Lights shine out from behind her, a dozen beams slowly raising their focus as she goes on until finally shining brightly behind her.

Maybe I can help but cry
Every time I see the sky
Memories, our distant past is finally put to rest
I won't relive this pain again
I won't just keep playing pretend
I know I don't have to cry, I know the light returns!
I know I don't have to cry, one day the sun will come!


And it is done. Soon thunderous applause will break through, a cacophony of cheers and shouting. They will rush off the stage for the next act and talking heads will debate her performance.

But for now, in that eternal moment, Polly stands there, a blinding halo around her, the last petals still twirling down in the silence.

PostPosted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:08 pm
by Admincohns Namerryaz
DISCLAIMER: Most Admincohnians only speak Admincohnian, so most of the time, if you don't understand Admincohnian already, you will need a translator to understand them.

XX. Admincohns Namerryaz
"Дебрсаля Мераигэ" - Yemiti Lagrenov

Title Transcription : Debrsalja Meraigè
Title Translation: Striking Days
Language(s): Admincohnian Language(s) of the lyrics of the song
Lyrics: Ènfûn Žyrnyečov IC song writers
Music: Kovâčič Maâkov IC song composers
Tune: F777-Sonic Blaster


Домоне оме дое э э, омаи
Доэ, но э, моё, ноже зекаи,
Дономе гаце копгеднаре
Дочэ юйе тамае хадеренемекфе


Щяюхэ чицё гоме э э, омаи,
Корон шабять копе нене, дуяи,
Жчменте коланеа аиаи морю,
Яме комйе доре кососамделю


Косе доме ломе доре лоре морекомдесреанераи
Копене моэ дё гоме трегалан,
Томе корэ нори торпемодраи,
Торе Мопе Люно Зуха Моакелеклгдан


Коре Доре
Матеренеме Комаренеремане
Томре Саре
Самре Бакаокаканагэ,
Калин дористеч
Матерpяж патеране
Дург гйор морвор
дебрсаля мераигэ


Томоно Копоне
Дбров кран
Чнес щцер
Дро лоне
Члда ман
Стре мапер
Косемо дорэнё
Стомере Комераденё


Коре Доре
Матеренеме Комаренеремане
Томре Саре
Самре Бакаокаканагэ,
Калин дористеч
Матерpяж патеране
Дург гйор морвор
дебрсаля мераигэ


Коре Доре
Матеренеме Комаренеремане
Томре Саре
Самре Бакаокаканагэ,
Калин дористеч
Матерpяж патеране
Дург гйор морвор
дебрсаля мераиге


Дюи
Зерма


Коре Доре
Матеренеме Комаренеремане
Томре Саре
Самре Бакаокаканагэ,
Калин дористеч
Матерpяж патеране
Дург гйор морвор
дебрсаля мераигэ


Достон Мондон Домаон
Барлан даран бармаон
Цлемтен гоандем мадаон
Мажда манла домандарарараон


Щяюхэ чицё гоме э э, омаи,
Корон шабять копе нене, дуяи,
Жчменте коланеа аиаи морю,
Яме комйе доре кососамделю


Домоне оме дое э э, омаи
Доэ, но э, моё, ноже зекаи,
Дономе гаце копгеднаре
Дочэ юйе тамае хадеренемекфе


Дем мором домон моропаигэ




Domone ome doe è è, omai
Doè, no è, moë, nože zekai,
Donome gace kopgednare
Dočè juje tamae haderenemekfe

Ŝjajuhè čicë gome è è, omai,
Koron šabjatʹ kope nene, dujai,
Žčmente kolanea aiai morju,
Jame komje dore kososamdelju

Kose dome lome dore lore morekomdesreanerai
Kopene moè dë gome tregalan,
Tome korè nori torpemodrai,
Tore Mope Ljuno Zuha Moakeleklgdan

Kore Dore
Matereneme Komareneremane
Tomre Sare
Samre Bakaokakanagè,
Kalin doristeč
Materpjaž paterane
Durg gjor morvor
Debrsalja Meraigè

Tomono Kopone
Dbrov kran
Čnes ŝcer
Dro lone
Člda man
Stre maper
Kosemo dorènë
Stomere Komeradenë

Kore Dore
Matereneme Komareneremane
Tomre Sare
Samre Bakaokakanagè,
Kalin doristeč
Materpjaž paterane
Durg gjor morvor
Debrsalja Meraigè

Kore Dore
Matereneme Komareneremane
Tomre Sare
Samre Bakaokakanagè,
Kalin doristeč
Materpjaž paterane
Durg gjor morvor
Debrsalja Meraigè

Kore Dore
Matereneme Komareneremane
Tomre Sare
Samre Bakaokakanagè,
Kalin doristeč
Materpjaž paterane
Durg gjor morvor
Debrsalja Meraigè

Djui
Zerma

Kore Dore
Matereneme Komareneremane
Tomre Sare
Samre Bakaokakanagè,
Kalin doristeč
Materpjaž paterane
Durg gjor morvor
Debrsalja Meraigè

Doston Mondon Domaon
Barlan daran barmaon
Clemten goandem madaon
Mažda manla domandarararaon

Ŝjajuhè čicë gome è è, omai,
Koron šabjatʹ kope nene, dujai,
Žčmente kolanea aiai morju,
Jame komje dore kososamdelju

Domone ome doe è è, omai
Doè, no è, moë, nože zekai,
Donome gace kopgednare
Dočè juje tamae haderenemekfe

Dem morom domon moropaigè

PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 1:00 am
by Rhim Flavezztowland
XX. Rhim Flavezztowland
"All Mine" - Sidney Ford

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Sidney Ford, Nicole Johnson
Music: Andrew Meilleur, Jessica Burnet, Alain West
Tune: "Black Swan" - Rainbow


Image



Image
Sidney Ford (the singer performing for Rhim Flavezztowland at WHF58)

Born on July 3, 1998 in Skipinton, Coleshire County, Rhim Flavezztowland, Sidney Ford is a Flavezztowlander singer whose journey to stardom began back in 2013, which was when she participated in the first season of the M1 survival show Who's Next? - upon winning that show, she debuted under Nextkies Entertainment with the full album Step One and the title track of "Lotus".


By the time the Flavezztowlander WHF58 postcard had ended, everything from the previous performance had been removed from the stage, and Sidney Ford had walked onto its LED floor sporting a white dress and black stilettos. The twirl was lit up in a white color; all the other lights had been dimmed.

As soon as the tune had begun, white horizontal strips began appearing on the LED screens and the LED floor was swiftly brightened - a few moments later, Sidney began singing her lyrics.
My sense of love is subconscious
I've never felt super thoughtless
'Cause of you, I've now turned into something new
I'm no longer somebody blue


The camera then rapidly zoomed onto Sidney's face as soon as she began singing her song's second verse.
I've gotten in love
With only you, my love thereof
The reflections of you come to me, babe
And they can't stop takin' their shape
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)


Upon the time Sidney sang the "oh, oh, oh, oh, oh" lines of her song, the horizontal strips on the LED screens filled them up in sync to the tune; after she sang the word "become" in the chorus's first line, the screens filled up with all sorts of gradients, and a black-and-white stripe pattern started to be shown on the twirl.
'Cause now you've become all mine
So don't you keep killin' time
I'll never let go of you until it's over
Stayin' 'til we're older
'Cause now you've become all mine
So don't you keep killin' time
I'll never let go of you until it's over
Stayin' 'til we're older
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)


Colorful moving lasers then started to be emitted from the stage's perimeter, and Sidney walked onto the smaller stage platform as she sang the song's third verse.
Baby, baby, 'cause of you, I'm no longer so lone
Maybe, maybe we could get a big house of our own
Just so you know-oh-oh-oh-oh...
Don't let me go-oh-oh-oh-oh...
Slowly, slowly, I can feel the beating of our hearts
Don't you, don't you feel like Cupid shot us with 'em darts
Just so you know-oh-oh-oh-oh...
Don't let me go-oh-oh-oh-oh...


The LED screens then went black for a few moments, then returned to showing various gradients upon when Sidney sang the word "all" in the chorus - with that, the lasers stopped being emitted.
'Cause now you've become all mine
So don't you keep killin' time
I'll never let go of you until it's over
Stayin' 'til we're older
'Cause now you've become all mine
So don't you keep killin' time
I'll never let go of you until it's over
Stayin' 'til we're older


All of the stage lights (except for the LED floor, that is) were then dimmed, with the LED screens changing from displaying various gradients to alternating between black and white every second as Sidney sang her song's bridge.
Oh, ma boy
You're just like a sweet person with joy
Now my heart just screams love ahoy whenever I see you
You're the reason why, you're the reason why
Is this real or just a whole lie?
Will our own love reach new heights?
Baby, I wanna know...
(Just tell me)


As soon as Sidney sang the "Just tell me" line of her song, the stage went dark for a moment; the twirl then lit up again, and the LED screens then went back to showing horizontal white strips against a black background when Sidney sang the first verse again.
My sense of love is subconscious
I've never felt super thoughtless
'Cause of you, I've now turned into something new
I'm no longer somebody blue


The LED screens then began showing various gradients once again as Sidney sang the chorus of her song one last time.
'Cause now you've become all mine
So don't you keep killin' time
I'll never let go of you until it's over
Stayin' 'til we're older
'Cause now you've become all mine
So don't you keep killin' time
I'll never let go of you until it's over
Stayin' 'til we're older


As soon as the chorus had been sung one last time, tall aqua jets were let off from the stage's perimeter, the rest of the stage went dark, and Sidney spoke-sang the last line of her song.
(I love you)


Now that the Flavezztowlander entry was finished, Sidney yelled, "Thank you and merci, everyone!" to the entire crowd in the WHF stadium before she walked off the stage to give way for the next performance...

PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:27 am
by Llalta
XX. Llalta
"Unravelling Reality" - Esther Winterbourne

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Esther Winterbourne
Music: Esther Winterbourne
Tune: "Wonderland" - Aimer




Unfurling teardrops, glistening like starlight
Constellations flickering on blushed cheeks
Painting odysseys, whispered tales strayed along bloodlines
As dappled light dances upon your eyes effulgent

Seconds wane, seasons change, moments become memories
A thousand soul's hegira, abide divine revelation
Upon the river's opaline hues, a shifting reflection
Formed of speckled, saffron lustre, someone else's eyes meet yours
Your unravelling reality

Piercing, the untouched, brunal breeze caresses your skin
A familiar embrace, a final breath, stirring hushed bygone refrains of
Burnished leaves waltzing with laced zephyr
Winds yonder, a faded face, forgotten place, dreams of Aletheia's umbrage

sabishikatta yoru ni natte
mada akarui yume no hotori
tabekake de nokoshita kokoro datte
koko kara hajimaru , uta ni naru

sekai ga ki ni naru nosa
doko ni ikō ka anata wa warau
fumihazushitemiyō ka ushirometa sa ga watashi o sasō
Find me in the wonderland

Reality

dō shita tte umarekawaru hodo no tsuyoi ishi ga hitsuyōda
shinchōna inochidatta
watashi dakeja michi wa mitsukaranai

hoshi o kazoe tsunagiawase
mada shiranai yatsu no seiza
mitsumeatte naite asa ni natte
koko kara hajimaru monogataru

mō ichi nin janainoyo yume no yōdesho watashi wa utau
sabishi sa wa hirugaeri , haka no moto e to hito wa tsudō

nani mo omoidōri ni ikanai koto ga hajimattakara
fumihazushitemiyō ka mekakushi no te no naru hō e
Find me in the wonderland

anata ga mayō basho ni hikari o tomosu tame ni
anata wa hitotsu de ite onna shiku waraimasho

mō hitori janainoyo
totemo kowaiyone shiawase nante
sabishi sa wa hirugaeri , haka no moto e to ni nin wa tsudō
sekai wa kimi no monosa , te ga todoite anata ga ite
fumihazushitemiyō ka aisuru hito ga watashi o sasō
Find me in the wonderland
In yōr wonderland

PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 8:36 am
by Northern Beepee
XX. Northern Beepee
"Dreams" - Lilla

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Ivor Biggun
Music: Wayvn La Baton
Tune: "Als Ik Weer Bij Jou Ben" - Edsilia Rombley


ARTIST BACKGROUND

Lilla is a proud Larrakin woman from near Melaleuca, Northern Beepee.

Aged 21, she has been creating a name for herself in the local music scene, playing and writing her own songs. 

WHF represent her major breakthrough and she will be the third representative at World Hit Festival for Northern Beepee.  She will be hoping to do as well as her predecessor Gunner Boscher who finished 9th in the 56th Edition.

Gatherings

The most well documented parts of Northern Beepeean culture come from corroboree.  Which is an anglicanisation of the Beepish word for a traditional dance ritual, often involving costumes and music and refers to any large gathering of people.  Corroboree contiune to this day.

Corroboree are used for many purposes including celebrations, mourning or prayer.  During these gatherings, people will pass down their clans cultural knowledge, by reciting  stories and songs and playing music.  Many of these stories and songs have been passed down through generations within individual clans and sometimes ad the songs are passed down they are added to and embellished upon.

Gatherings often begin with a traditional smoking ceremony. Where native plants are burned.  The smoke is belived to ward off evil spirits who may be near the gathering, and  cleanse the place and heal the participants. 

Often, body paint is used by participants of a corroboree. The painting styles are often unique to certain clans and are individual to that person. Some clans paintwork has been handed down over millennia to create individual styles and stories for each mark.

To be invited to or be part of a Northern Beepeean corroboree is a great honour.

WORLD HIT FESTIVAL 58

Lilla is wearing a black beautiful couture gown with feathered skirt.

PERFORMANCE

As the postcard ends the stage is in darkness.  The crowd builds with anticipation.  As the music begins a spotlight beams down from above on Lilla.  The at home audience can see a picture, almost from the ceiling of the stade oceane looking down upon Lilla.


If you knew,
How I feel,
You'd understand me,
You would make it more than real,
I would travel,
Ten thousand miles,
Over oceans,
I would fly to reveal my love to you


As she begins to sing the camera swoops down, before midway through the first stanza (at 'I would travel'), switching to a front facing head and torso shot.  Lilla reaches out as she sings 10,000 miles  to the audience.

As she sings the bridge, below, the camera cuts to a off portrait view, and the at home audience can now see, Lilla is standing on a small circular platform on the stage.  A whisp of smoke, from a hidden smoke machine, billows around the base of the platform. 

The camera begins to pan in on Lilla, but when she sings 'you reach for me the camera pulls out once again.


And In the darkness
I reach for you, you reach for me
A thousand heartbeats... to home


As the chorus begins, the LED screens behind the mains stage begin to spot in shades of deep cobalt blue.  The camera then cuts, violently back to the head and torso view of Lilla


I'll see you in my dreams
Baby, I'll wait for you here
If you see me in your dreams
Know my love is always there
And instead if we have to meet somewhere else
We can meet together, together...
Together in our dreams


As she sings "we can meet together, together", the camera cuts back to the ceiling camera, looking down on lilla and blue stage lights lift up.

The deep blue cobalt spots onbacking LED screens, now seems to slowly drop like little stars falling behind Lilla as the camera cuts to a full on front view as the second stanza begins.

As she sings 'everytime I close my eyes' the camera cuts to to a close zoom in profile, before the director cuts to a panning full length shot as Lilla sings 'I think about us'.


Think about me,
Every night,
I'll do the same,
Every time I close my eyes,
You know the seasons,
Can't keep us apart,
I think about us,
From the bottom of my heart.


As the bridge begins, the blue stage lights are gained by red and green giving a warm purple glow across the stage a lightening the performance.  Before the panning camera pulls out from the stage backwards over the stadium audience, flags of many nations waving.


And In the darkness,
I reach for you, you reach for me,
A thousand heartbeats... to home.


As the chorus begins, the camera cuts back to a head and torso view of Lilla.  Who sings warmly down the camera to the at home audience.

As she signs 'and if we have to meet somewhere else instead', The camera briefly cuts to a small group of audience members waving their flags. Before cutting to a zooming shot towards lilla over the audience.


I'll see you in my dreams,
Baby, I'll wait for you here
If you see me in your dreams
Know my love is always there
And If we have to meet somewhere else instead
We can meet together, together...
Together in our dreams


As the third stanza begins, the director cuts to an onstage Steadicam which runs, spinning, round Lilla, who soars as she sings 'watching the dark clouds disappear.


We're flying,
Watch the dark clouds disappear,
And let the moon shine,
down on us


As the final chorus begins, the rear LED screens continue to rain tiny blue sparkling stars.  The director cuts between profile, full shot and panning shorts across the stage throughout the final chorus in an attempt to add interest on what is a ballad.


I'll see you in my dreams,
Baby, I'll wait for you here,
If you see me in your dreams,
Know my love is always there,
And If we have to meet somewhere else instead,
We can meet together, together...
Together in our dreams.


As the chorus ends, the lights begin to dim, fading back from.purples to blue. The LED screens begin to darken and the falling stars begin to fade.  Lilla is once again alone in the solo spotlight, the camera focused on her face as she sings her final line.


Together in our dreams.


As the song ends, all the remaining lights darken. 

Lilla bows politely thanking the assembled audience and leaves the stage.

PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2021 8:49 am
by Darkmania
XX. Darkmania
"Mitt Liv" - Kären Chärlotte Mälmström

Title Translation: My Life
Language(s): Norwegian (Bokmål)
Lyrics: Kären Chärlotte Mälmström
Music: Kären Chärlotte Mälmström
Tune: Clara Klingenström - Behöver inte dig idag



The stage area is set for Darkmania, and Kären Chärlotte Mälmström and her song "Mitt Liv", a song about how it is living with a mental disorder. She only has a bass guitar and a microphone stand and the floor has lots of junk around. No fancy backgrounds nor fancy lights. No gimmicks. It's just a girl in a pink dress and her bass guitar. Most of the shots are closeups of her to hide the fact that there are backstage crew on stage that cleans up but are not to be seen on the broadcast.

Mitt liv er et helvete iblant for meg
En som sliter med roen sin
Veier blir langt å gå
Kommer jeg noen gang frem?
Det er ikke lett med livet mitt, tro meg
Mer detaljer i det jeg ser der ute
Er en firkant i en verden av sirkler
Så er jeg en normal menneske?
Er jeg en normal menneske?


Her voice gets all emotional when she sings the bridge. Some of the junk on the floor has been cleared but there is still a massive amount of junk laying around. She plays the bass guitar (well pretends to play it anyway).


Og jeg
Gjør andre ting enn folk
Har vist noen skruer løs
Vanskelig med ord som jeg forstår
Så er jeg en normal menneske?
Jeg vil ikke være med andre
Trives best når ingen plager meg
Jeg er ikke som alle andre
Så er jeg en normal menneske?


More junk has been cleared but there is still stuff on the floor, but the music calms down.


Alle andre ser meg med stygge øyner
Det er ikke lett å være offeret på skolen
"Slutt å være fargefull i den grå verden"
Så er jeg en normal menneske?
Er jeg en normal menneske?


Even more, junk has been cleared, leaving few pieces on the stage.


Og jeg
Gjør andre ting enn folk
Har vist noen skruer løs
Vanskelig med ord som jeg forstår
Så er jeg en normal menneske?
Jeg vil ikke være med andre
Trives best når ingen plager meg
Jeg er ikke som alle andre
Så er jeg en normal menneske?


Kären does a bass guitar solo while a steady-cam goes around her. She is focused 100% and only moves her head just to sing this line after a while. No junk is left on stage.


Er jeg en normal menneske?


Kären continues her solo as a steady cam goes around and around her. After a while, she goes back and sings the last part of the song while (acting as) she plays her bass guitar.


Og jeg
Gjør andre ting enn folk
Har vist noen skruer løs
Vanskelig med ord som jeg forstår
Så er jeg en normal menneske?
Jeg vil ikke være med andre
Trives best når ingen plager meg
Jeg er ikke som alle andre
Så er jeg en normal menneske?
Gjør andre ting enn folk
Har vist noen skruer løs
Vanskelig med ord som jeg forstår
Så er jeg en normal menneske?


A wave of applause is given as Kären gives a humble "thank you". She blows kisses to everyone and says "thank you" a lot as we slowly move to the host.




(My life are a hell for me sometimes)
(One whose struggle with their calm)
(Roads are long to walk)
(Will i ever get there?)
(Its not easy with my life, trust me)
(More details in the things i see out there)
(Is a square in a world of circles)
(So am i a normal human being?)
(Am i a normal human being?)

(And i)
(Does other things than others)
(Have some screws loose)
(Hard with words that i understand)
(So am i a normal human being?)
(I dont want to be with other)
(Feels best when no one nags me)
(Im not like the other)
(So am i a normal human being?)

(Everyone looks at me with evil eyes)
(Its not easy being the vitcim at school)
("Stop being colourfull in the grey world")
(So am i a normal human being?)
(Am i a normal human being?)

(And i)
(Does other things than others)
(Have some screws loose)
(Hard with words that i understand)
(So am i a normal human being?)
(I dont want to be with other)
(Feels best when no one nags me)
(Im not like the other)
(So am i a normal human being?)

(Am i a normal human being?)

(And i)
(Does other things than others)
(Have some screws loose)
(Hard with words that i understand)
(So am i a normal human being?)
(I dont want to be with other)
(Feels best when no one nags me)
(Im not like the other)
(So am i a normal human being?)
(Does other things than others)
(Have some screws loose)
(Hard with words that i understand)
(So am i a normal human being?)

PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:12 pm
by Kassegrochia
XX. Kassegrochia
"Queen" - Svetlana

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Svetlana Kalyagina
Music: Andrey Kolesnykov
Tune: Cailin Russo & Chrissy Costanza - ''Phoenix''|(Alternative Link)


Image
Svetlana on a promotional photo

Svetlana Kalyagina is a 26-year old singer of Kassegrochian origin. Born in Bolgarovsk, at the age of six she emigrated with her family to Togonistan, where they settled in at the town of Edrana. Svetlana found her passion towards music in school, where she joined the girls choir. Later, she started taking private singing lessons from a family friend, who saw talent in her. As time moved on, Svetlana slowly started her solo career, releasing her first solo album at the age of 18. Svetlana gained a fair amount of fame during her attempt to represent Togonistan in the 65th WorldVision Song Contest, where she came 2nd behind Alissa Fetia in Togonifest, the national final for Togonistan at the time.

With Tre Televisija looking to return to World Hit Festival after receiving a bigger budget to work with at the start of the year, the broadcaster reached out to Svetlana with an offer to represent her birth nation in the contest. In Le Havre, Svetlana is going to perform her newest single ''Queen'' written by Kassegrochian composer Andrey Kolesnykov specifically with WHF in mind.




Svetlana is standing on the main stage. The stage is lowly lit with blue light and smoke covering the floor. Svetlana is wearing a bronze armor accompanied by a head accessory. Her microphone is attached to a stand in front of her. Svetlana's hands are on the microphone as she starts singing, looking into the camera with some subtle head movements.

Image

Artistic representation of Svetlana's outfit on WHF58 stage. The sword got scrapped in the latest revision by the designer.

You've been walking through hell
Locked up in a cell, hiding in your shell
One false step has changed your fate and closed the gate
Another twist in the life, anyone on your side
Has gone through your mind, will they fight for you?
Call to arms, to the battle for our queen


Camera takes a 360 degree view around Svetlana. The smoke that covered the floor is gone and the LED floor displaying blue colors can be seen gradually going brighter.

What you gonna do now?
Will you give it up or stand and rise again?


Svetlana puts her arms wide open as the stage lights up in golden colours. Throughout the chorus, she does various hand gestures while singing.

So are you gonna die today or make it out alive?
Time to conquer the beast that took your freedom, time to rise
Rise, my queen, rise
Time to retake your empire
Go walk with grace and tear down the gates
That kept you locked


Lighting on the stage tones down, with the blue background once again taking over. Smoke machines start working once again as Svetlana sings the second verse while looking into the camera, doing some subtle head movements and some hand gestures.

The future never seemed bright,
The battles you fight for what's your birthright
Ten thousand voices by your side, they're chanting for their queen
Time to stand up with pride, time to turn the tide
For those who still have faith
Got them in your sight, it is time for final fight


Once again, as we get closer to the chorus, the smoke fades away and the led floor gradually turns into a brighter shade of blue.

What you gonna do now?
Will you give it up or stand and rise again?


Stage lit up in golden colours once again. Svetlana puts her arms wide open for the first line, followed by various different hand gestures throughout the chorus.

So are you gonna die today or make it out alive?
Time to conquer the beast that took your freedom, time to rise
Rise, my queen, rise
Time to retake your empire
Go walk with grace and tear down the gates
That kept you locked


Stage lighting goes pitch black for a moment, with a single beam of blue light appearing on Svetlana. She has fallen down on her knee and is facing the audience sideways, looking at the ground.

(What you gonna do now?)
(What you gonna do now?)


As the song progresses, blue glowing lines start appearing on the background screens, gradually starting to glow more stronger. Eventually, the stage goes pitch black again for a second, before being lit up in bright golden colours again. Svetlana is standing again and has detached the microphone from her stand. Now, she is standing at the edge of the main stage, singing the final chorus. Her hand gestures are more firm this time, as is her body language.

So are you gonna die today or make it out alive?
Time to conquer the beast that took your freedom, time to rise
Rise, my queen, rise
Time to retake your empire
Go walk with grace and tear down the gates
That kept you locked


As the song ends and lights turn normal, audience can be heard applauding and cheering. Svetlana thanks the audience, with a shy smile on her face: ''Thank you everyone! Thank youuuu!''

PostPosted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 5:53 am
by Nekoni
XX. Nekoni
"Faster, Faster" - Backstreet

Title Translation:
Language(s): English
Lyrics:
Music:
Tune: BRADIO - Boom!Boom!HEAVEN

PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 6:43 am
by Togonistan
XX. Togonistan
"Terminated" - Malinda & Claymore

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Jordan Maluna
Music: Jordan Maluna
Tune: Bridgit Mendler - ''Determinate''


Following the 57th World Hit Festival, a certain amount of backlash occurred amongst Togonistani WHF fanbase. Lucky 7, the Togonistani broadcaster owning rights to World Hit Festival in the nation, has received a lot of criticism from fans for being quite closed about their decisions when it comes to choosing artists representing the nation in WHF. Taking the recent criticism into account, Lucky 7 hosted an online poll after WHF 57, asking the fans who would they love to see representing the nation in the next edition. Over a hundred recommendations came from Togonistani fanbase, with suggestions including the likes of Grace Lekker, Daniel Makala, Tuhinga, Alyn Tuvalu and Tremendous. However, there was one name that really stood out amongst others.

Following the poll results, Togonistani WHF fans gathered around their devices after Lucky 7's announcement about making an artist reveal in an online livestream. What some considered to be a PR trick from Lucky 7 to quite down the recent criticism turned out to be a pleasant surprise for a large amount of fans when Togonistani singer Malinda, along with rapper Claymore, appeared on the screen.

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Claymore & Malinda during Lucky 7's artist reveal livestream. Lucky 7 later apologized for missing the extra d in graphical banner.


During the 30-minute livestream, Malinda and Claymore spoke about their song and the feeling they've got about getting a chance to represent Togonistan in World Hit Festival, as well as answered some questions from the fans. They both said that they are looking forward to heading to Le Havre and hope to have a lot of fun.

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Malinda is representing Togonistan in Le Havre with her song ''Terminated'', a joint project with rapper Claymore.

Malinda is a 28-year old Togonistani singer from Tushlark. Starting her career eight years ago as an EDM artist, Malinda is well known amongst the Togonistani audience. She has represented Togonistan in the 60th WordVision Song Contest in Hajenired as well as performed as an interval act during the 61st WorldVision in Hwoarang. So far, she has released seven solo albums and is amongst the best-selling artists in Togonistan.

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Claymore after his arrival in Le Havre

Joining Malinda in Le Havre is Claymore, a 27-year old rap artist. Born in the city of Tashan, Claymore (birthname Jordan Maluna) started off as a member of rap group CLAW5 seven years ago, moving on to have his own solo career as a rapper and music producer after the group's departure three years later. Claymore is both the composer as well as lyrics writer for ''Terminated'' which, according to his words, saw the light following a night out in one of Hwoarang's clubs, where he met Malinda for the first time.




The performance starts with Malinda standing on the main stage, surrounded by four backing dancers. There are two male and two female dancers, all wearing white T-shirts with a golden chain, black sweatpants and white sneakers. All the dancers are standing with their back towards Malinda, few meters away from her and looking at the ground, forming a half circle with the two female dancers next to Malinda and the two male dancers behind her. Malinda puts her microphone to her mouth and starts singing. Stage lighting is minimalistic, with a hint of blue colours.

I've been trying all my life
To become something
Struggling to get you off my mind
I wish to ask you one thing
If you'd give me one more chance
I would take it
Just give me this one last dance


Stage lights up in a mixture of twirling golden lights. Malinda can be seen doing some very suggestive dance moves, moving her body and sliding her left hand all over her body while holding the microphone with other hand and singing. Dancers accompany her moves with some rhythmic shoulder moving and leaning from one side to another. Unlike the dancers, Malinda is wearing a tight black top with tight black leggings and white sneakers (same outfit can also be seen on her promotional picture).

I, I wanna fly
Before goodbye
I really got nothing to hide
I wanna glide
I wanna slide
Wanna take you one one last ride


Malinda and the dancers start walking forward on the stage, doing some fist pumping while singing.

Come on now, come on now
Come on let's get it going
Come on now, come on now
Come on let's get it going


They have reached to the edge of the stage and start doing some more dance moves as the chorus kicks in. Malinda sings the chorus and moves her hips and shoulders in-between the lines, while the dancers are moving their hips, accompanied by some smooth leg and shoulder movement, mixing a few head nods in as well.

Tonight we dominate the dance floor
'Til we're terminated, 'til we're terminated
Until then let's just do what we adore
'Til we're terminated, 'til we're terminated
Tonight we can shine, yeah, we can cross the line, yeah
Tonight we dominate the dance floor
'Til we're terminated, 'til we're terminated


Malinda places her hand on one of the male dancers shoulder and starts walking backwards, gently pulling him to follow her with a suggestive look and body language while singing the first half of the verse. Halfway through the verse, she lets him go and turns to another male dancer. She grabs his necklace and starts slowly pulling him towards her while walking backwards, with the same suggestive look and body language.

Hey, what do you say?
Don't be afraid
Let's go and do it our way
We shouldn't wait or be afraid
Enjoy it til' we're led astray


Malinda lets the dancer go and, turning her back to the audience, starts walking towards the back area of the stage with an elegant hip movement. The dancers follow her with a similar walk. Malinda looks over the shoulder as she sings the last line of the verse, before turning around again.

Come on now, come on now
Come on let's get it going
Come on now, come on now
Come on let's get it going


Malinda and her dancers start doing the same dance moves as before. However, this time, malinda puts her hand on one of the female dancers shoulder and gets close to her as she sings the first line of the chorus. She repeats the same thing with another female dancer during the third line.

Tonight we dominate the dance floor
'Til we're terminated, 'til we're terminated
Until then let's just do what we adore
'Til we're terminated, 'til we're terminated
Tonight we can shine, yeah, we can cross the line, yeah
Tonight we dominate the dance floor
'Til we're terminated, 'til we're terminated


Stage lighting turns into more of an orange tone as Claymore appears from the left edge of the stage. The big background screen starts showing a comic strip style of storytelling with artistic versions of Claymore and Malinda in it, as Claymore starts rapping his verse. Claymore wears an outfit similar to the dancers, with an exception of his t-shirt being black and also wearing a black cap with Claymore written on it, in white gothic font. Claymore walks around on the stage, doing some hand movements to accompany his rapping.

It's Claymore on the floor
Came to knock down the door
Lyrical acrobat
Elegant like coon cat

When we get on the stage we dominate the nightclub
You can be my pussycat and I will be your mancub
When we show up everyone can feel the adrenaline
Hah!
Now chop chop let us in.
Skya!
Everyone throw their hands up
With us on the floor it all adds up


Claymore makes his way to Malinda and approaches her. The two face each other as Claymore raps his lyrics, while Malinda looks at her and moves her body.

I'm the OG,
Music in my genes
Come on, let's make a run
I'm just here for some fun

Get down low
It's our playground
Get your feet off the ground
Just move with the sound


Stage lighting goes back to the previous golden tint, as Malinda starts walking forward. She is being followed by Claymore and the dancers, all moving their hips while walking.

Tonight we dominate the dance floor
'Til we're terminated, 'til we're terminated
Until then let's just do what we adore
'Til we're terminated, 'til we're terminated
Tonight we can shine, yeah, we can cross the line, yeah
Tonight we dominate the dance floor
'Til we're terminated, 'til we're terminated


By the time the chorus ends, the group has made their way to the small platform. They line up with Malinda and Claymore in the middle, them surrounded by the two female dancers with male dancers on either end. They do some more dance moves as Malinda sings the final part of the song.

Come on now, come on now
Get your feet off the ground now
Come on now, come on now
Get your feet off the ground now
We can dance now
We can dance now
D-d-dance now
'Til we're terminated


Malinda puts her arm around Claymore's neck and ends the final line with a head nod. The song stops with a close-up of the two. They stand there for a few seconds, until the audience starts cheering for them. Malinda and the backing dancers stand there for a few more moments with smiles on their faces, as Malinda thanks the audience: ''Thank you Le Havre! Merci!''

XX | Britonisea | Liam Narain - Never Forget Me

PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 1:30 pm
by Britonisea
XX. Britonisea
"Never Forget Me" - Liam Narain

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Liam Narain, Samantha Parkson
Music: Mark Walling, T:Rodden, Samantha Parkson
Tune: Ruben - Burn Down This Room


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Album cover of “Never Forget Me”: The song will represent Britonisea at the 58th World Hit Festival, sung by Liam Narain…

Britonisea returns for the 38th edition time at the World Hit Festival, this time sending Brito-Togonistanian artist, Liam Narain, with the song “Never Forget Me” in Normandy and Picardy...

If we go back and look at the 57th World Hit Festival, which was also hosted in Normandy and Picardy, we could see that Britonisea managed to maintain yet another top 5 placement in what was quite a difficult field of nations. Initially, Britons went to the 57th World Hit Festival thinking that they were in with a good chance of victory, with James Benamar receiving a fairly good response by the Britonish audience. In Amiens, Britonisea was picked to perform in the first half - yet again - with the Normandy and Picardy broadcaster (SRNP) deciding that Britonisea would perform 8th in the Grand Final - with many of Britonisea’s recent positions in the Grand Final being around there (6th - 8th). Brityunik Vefecosoin Cairkovoin, the Britonish broadcaster, knew that this wasn’t uncharted territory, they had to make sure that the entry was fantastic. Performing after Hafamarimet and before Axuva was a hard task, Britonisea had to be more worried about the whole of the second half, with nations at the top of the scoreboard in the end having dominated the top 5 in the end. As the points came through, despite a relatively strong start in the beginning, the nation was no match for the hosts Normandy and Picardy who scored 13 points more than Britonisea. James Benamar went home with a respectable 5th place which was a good position - a position we haven’t been in since the 44th World Hit Festival in Anollasia. Some Britonish fans were left reeling after Britonisea scored second at the orchestral edition, a contest Britonisea was tipped to win due to the fact the nation won the first orchestral edition all those editions ago. Britonisea, still, did very well - scoring the best result for Britonisea since ELIANA’s World Hit Festival win in the summer. As we move further away from the last Britonish win, nearly celebrating a year since the country last won, we have officially entered the largest win drought since the 26th World Hit Festival to the 37th World Hit Festival where, despite having hosted the 35th edition, didn’t win the contest in between. The Head of Delegation, Tom Stardust, who debuted with a winning entry through ELIANA was starting to slack, some people thought. The aim for the World Hit team was not to dive outside the top 10 like how it was in the WorldVision Song Contest. This edition, again in Normandy and Picardy, Tom Stardust decided to approach Liam Narain - a man from both Britonisea and Togonistan who will fly the flag for Britonisea at the upcoming World Hit Festival. But who is he?

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Liam Narain during rehearsals: Liam was “on point” and ready for Normandy & Picardy according to sources...

During A Hit For The World, it was announced that 31-year-old Tushlark-born singer, Liam Narain will represent Britonisea in Le Havre...

Announced on the same day of the week as the last A Hit For The World, it was revealed that Britonisea would participate in the upcoming edition of the World Hit Festival after radio silence from the broadcaster. It was announced that James Benamar's successor will be another male soloist for the third time in a row, with BVC hoping to continue the success the previous two men had at the Festival. Liam Narain has been named as the next Britonish representative where he will sing his song, "Never Forget Me" which is a pop ballad with orchestral elements in it. Some thought that "Never Forget Me" was a song that would have done well at the orchestral edition instead, which was hosted in Todlichebujoku not too long ago. Liam Narain was born in Togonistan to a Britonish mother and a Togonistanian father. As a family, they have spent time both in Britonisea and Togonistan, with Liam being pretty familiar with both cultures - he's very proud to be from both countries.

The powerful ballad speaks about Narain's struggles recently when he was told that due to a life-threatening condition that he had, he was no longer able to pursue his career in sports. Liam was a jack of all trades; he was a professional footballer, but also was very good at tennis and hockey. It all came to an end after his diagnosis which sent him "on the wrong path", something that he candidly spoke about during the A Hit For The World interview that had just finished. He said that the performance will be a very emotional one for him, with the staging and dancers on the stage helping him tell the story.

Liam performed his song for the first time tonight to a small studio audience - but only time will tell whether the song was accepted by the Britonish public and more importantly - the international voters on the night.


Liam Narain is a 31-year old man who was born in Togonistan to a Britonish mother and a father from Togonistan. The family lived in Togonistan for a few years when Liam was younger before the family moved to Britonisea to be closer to Liam’s mother’s side of the family. Liam Narain then grew up in Britonisea where he fit in very well and lived a rather modest upbringing. Liam traveled to Togonistan regularly, however, making sure that he was keeping in touch with both sides of his culture. As Liam moved into his twenties, Liam was interested in sports, working as part of the biggest sports companies in the country, leaving whatever music talent he once had growing up in school behind in order to pursue his dream. Liam did well in his sports career, but Liam - who never fully opened up about his life - says that something happened in his life where the dreams that he wanted to once pursue, he couldn’t anymore. Liam was devastated when the doctors told him that he couldn’t play sport with the vigor that he used to and suffered from poor mental health afterward but he was a resilient man. Liam rediscovered some of his creativity in music which he (at the time when he was in school) always put it to the back of his mind since he was so very focused on his sporting career. Liam used his singing as a way to feel “useful”, a word that he used himself and now he is representing his country at the upcoming World Hit Festival.

Before coming to Normandy and Picardy, he recorded his performance for the Grand Final of Vha Mehlodhivestoile in Aloquirbe City to a packed audience. He said that it gave him the confidence for when he gets to Normandy and Picardy for the 58th World Hit Festival. Upon arriving at Le Havre, however, nerves started setting in. He was quickly rushed from A to B as he was given less time than former World Hit Festival Britonish acts due to his performance at the Grand Final of Vha Mehlodhivestoile 2021. He said that he enjoyed the buzz but it was "different to the usual!". We wish Liam and his team on stage good luck!


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Duration: 03:28
Main Vocalist 1: Liam Narain
Male Vocalist 1: Alexei Posagne (offstage)
Male Dancer/Vocalist 1: Steven Brockwell-Batten
Male Dancer/Vocalist 2: Syed McNamara
Female Dancer/Vocalist 1: Jodie Knight
Female Dancer/Vocalist 2: Aaliyah Yates

It was time for Liam Narain’s time on the World Hit Festival stage, a moment that he was both looking forward to but also dreading. Liam was preparing backstage for quite some time leading up to the Britonish being called out to the stage, doing some vocal warm ups and calming his nerves. He decided to pray by himself that the performance would go as swimmingly as he hoped - as well as it did during the many rehearsals that were done before the big moment live in front of millions watching at home. Liam didn’t know whether he was religious or anything, but he thought that he would pray anyway for good measure. Liam was finally called out to the stage as the Britonish postcard was played out for the audience and viewers so that they could be distracted as they changed the stage from one nation to the next. As Liam walked onto the stage, the stage personnel was running circles around him making sure that by the time he reached the stage, everything was laid down - ready for him to go. On the stage were paper lanterns which had very safe LED bulbs which were bound not to set on fire when under the blazing heat of the strobe lights on the stage. The paper lanterns had a tinge of orange to them, each of which had an almost see through wire which held them up from the top of the lighting rigs - we had to bargain with the Normandy and Picardy officials to get that one set up. The main central platform was where Liam was standing to begin with surrounded by the lanterns which was slightly covered by a moody low laying fog. From afar, you could see that the plumes had orange sparkles in it, with the warmth atmosphere aided by colours one would associate with a cozy living area with a furnace heating the vicinity - browns and dark oranges.

Liam was wearing a white t-shirt with khaki-looking chinos (though probably a bit more tight-fitting that in the picture. He wasn’t the only person who was on the stage either - in fact there were two more people on the stage - a male and a female, both wearing all white outfits, standing on the smaller stage in front. The pair of them would be dancing with one another in a contemporary style while Liam would be singing. The cameras started to train themselves on Liam as they counted down the last few seconds until it was his time to perform his song. Liam was the one starting the music with the starting section being acapella. He needed to make sure that he would get his cue right, otherwise it could ruin the rest of the beginning of the song. Liam hadn’t gotten it wrong before - well, except for the first time that he stepped on the stage in Normandy and Picardy, but he said that he was bewildered by the vastness of the stage and the arena in which the festival was taking place in. The audience applauded as they finished watching the lovely postcard made for us by the broadcaster. After a short while, the audience quietened down as all eyes was focused on Liam who had his head down to the ground before slowly tilting it upwards, singing the first couple of words of the song before the simple notes of the piano joined him…


I was thought of as an enigma,
With his heads high above the clouds.
Judging only from my appearance,
Not knowing the man deep within.
No one here knows what I have been through,
No one knows how far I’ve been pushed.
Ignored the warning signs out of fear,
And now it has caught up with me.


As he started the above verse, there was an echo placed on the microphone so that every vowel that the man exaggerated rang out in the audience for a few seconds, resonating deeper with those who were watching would be his very personal anecdote of recent events of his life which has made him look at life in a different way to how it looked at it before. He wanted to come off as genuine - the song was genuine, the lyrics that he was singing came from him and so there was no shortage of raw emotion as he had a frank conversation with the camera poised on his alluring gaze. As he sang the line, “deep within”, his hand slightly trailed down the front of his body, with the camera cross fading to one further away, with the two people who were dancing on the stage in front of him now being in the shot. The pair of them were looking at each other, dancing as though they couldn’t touch one another even though they both wanted to - what was stopping the pair of them being as one? As we focused on the dancers for a few seconds, we pulled focus from them back to Liam who had his eyes on the pair of them for a few seconds as he let out the line “and now it has caught up with me” with a slight whimper. He tightly closed his eyes momentarily as we moved onto the pre-chorus of the song.

The warm vibe that was once created on the stage had been slightly subdued as we moved into the pre-chorus of the song, with the strobes becoming a lot less intense than they were. The LED behind Liam wasn’t as bright either, with a singular white spotlight focusing on the man as he looked straight into a mobile camera simply making its way from one side of the stage to the other. After following the camera for a few seconds, he turned back towards the audience, as a blinding white light appeared behind him, making the man appear as though he was walking away from the Gates of Heaven. As Liam continues to sing how “The pain is relentless”, he holds his stomach, slightly crouching as he does this. The two dancers slowly came into the shot, mimicking the movements that Liam was doing behind them.


Where’s the light at the end of the tunnel?
The pain is relentless.
Will I see the light of day again?
Is it too good to be true?


As Liam sings the line, “Will I see the light of day again?”, all three people who were on the stage crouched upwards from their slumped position, with their hands still under them. They all looked up in unison, as though they were all being remote controlled to move at the same pace. As they looked up, a crisp blue and yellow shone on their faces with a smile appearing on their faces - not a complete smile - but they could see hope in front of them. Liam turns off to the side to sing the final line of the pre-chorus to his right. As he sang this, a look of disappointment appeared on his face before the camera faded to black. There was a beat - a break slightly before we came back and entered the powerful chorus of the song.

As the chorus began, Liam turned to the side (only just), tilting his head back as he took a sharp breath in so that he could suddenly change the pitch and dynamics of his singing voice. The stage filled with a rich golden colour which the swirl on the main stage made look even cooler and glamorous. The LED screen behind Liam was also rather vibrant, with what looked like golden embers being burnt behind him, slowly making its way up the height of the screens, slowly gaining in intensity throughout the chorus as he sang. Liam was singing with some gusto - he had a point to prove with the lyrics that he was singing and he was trying to convey his strength through the power of his voice.


The last thing on my mind is to back down and lose,
I’ve survived the darkest days of my life, I will pull through.
Even though I’m bruised - with whatever strength I have left,
Oh, I will keep on fighting until I’m laid to rest.


As the man sang “even though I’m bruised”, the camera slowly - from a low angle - zoomed in on the pair of contemporary dancers who were embracing one another. The camera circled around the pair of them for a few seconds, not too many times just so those watching didn’t get disorientated. The final line of the chorus was another pull focus from the two dancers, now focusing on Liam as he held his hand out before quickly pulling it away, almost smiling as he said that he will keep on fighting until he was laid to rest - which were quite powerful lyrics. At the end of the chorus, the camera yet again faded black momentarily before we began the second half of the song.

When Liam protested that he refused to be made a victim, the colour of the stage (LED) slowly turned into a rich purple colour, still with the golden embers burning up behind him with intensity. He seemed more empowered as he went through this section of the song, tensing his hands as he sang the lyric “I’ll walk alone, unaided and brave”. The dancers walked away from each other at this point, making their way around the outer circumference of the main stage. The fog had also cleared up, opening the floor up to the screen which showed a beautiful crystalised design which Liam was standing in the middle of.



I refuse to be made a victim,
No, I don’t want your sympathy.
I’ll walk alone, unaided and brave
Perhaps, somewhat foolish of me.

This is journey that I must take,
I have no choice, I have no say.
Pray for me and wish me well,
I hope that I’ll be back to tell the tale.


“This is a journey that I must take” was a line that he said to the female who was walking on around the stage to the left of him, whereas “I have no choice, I have no say” he said to the man who was on his right. The camera changed depending on the way Liam was facing. When moving onto the third line, “Pray for me and wish me well”, he turned to face the audience, slowly walking forward for the first time in the performance. There was a semi-aerial shot of the man walking forward, with the crystal design changing shape with him as he moved to the front of the main stage. There was a camera which was a close up as he sang the final words of the verse. He increased the power of his voice and he came closer to the explosive second chorus that was coming up in just a second. During the close up, two more people dressed in all white joined the stage behind Liam. During the verse, the lanterns started to flicker on and off randomly, with the darker stage colour making the flickering seem much more intense. When Liam raised his voice, strobes from either side of him flickered in a similar way.

As Liam belted out the first line of the next chorus, the lanterns which were all around the stage started to raise at the same time as one another - with a wide shot of the stage showing the beauty of the lanterns slowly taking off into the air. The dancers who were behind him were dancing in a flowy expression, along with providing the backing vocals that you could hear on the stage. There were zooms of Liam as he stamped his feet along with the uplifting beat of the song, looking up at the lanterns as they made their way away higher and higher into the sky. Those that had flowy movements behind Liam were also swaying along with the powerful beat of the song. Pop music with a flair of orchestra was definitely something that was popular in Britonisea, with many Britons at home watching the beauty of the performance and the heartfeltness of it. Liam seemed much more positive that he did at the start of the song - he finally seemed hopeful that he would reach his destination...or he found comfort in the new path that he has to take even though it may not have been the path he wanted to take initially.


The last thing on my mind is to back down and lose, (ay yah!)
I’ve survived the darkest days of my life, I will pull through. (oh-oh!)
Even though I’m bruised - with whatever strength I have left,
Oh, I will keep on fighting until I’m laid to rest.
Never forget...get...get me, never forget (oh-oh!),
Never forget...get...get me, never forget.


As we hit the new addition of the chorus and the lanterns were long gone into the air, the dancers slowly made their way into a formation behind Liam and spread out onto the stage. Liam raised his hands into the air, pivoting and shaking his head, taking a break from vocalising as the backing singers came in with strong supporting vocals. You could see from that simple movement that the song means a whole lot to Liam. As he hit the final “never forget” in that sentence, he had turned around back to the front of the audience, captured on camera’s close up. He grabbed the air and smirked at the camera before the stage turned dark.

Behind Liam, the four dancers (two male and female) had both teamed up - the two boys were together and the two females were together - with one of the pair taking a ballerina pose while the other one circled them, or gently brought them down under their face - looking at them lovingly. As everything was stripped back, so was the lighting. There were three spotlights - one on Liam in the middle and one on either of the pair continuing their contemporary dance behind them. There were special effects used here a bit - one could say AR, with bluish-green sparkles and shooting stars appearing around the male dancers with the female dancers being treated to more of a red-purple glow.


If I don’t return, never forget me and the things that I said,
Wherever I end up, I’ll keep going, a promise made to you.
The last thing on my mind is to back down and lose,
I’ve survived the darkest days of my life, I will pull through.


At the end of the bridge, the sparkles burst across the arena with Liam and the dancers once again dancing freely around the stage. The cameras were trying to keep up with every move that each of them made coming from each angle. Some of the male backing vocalists decided to ad-lib, with the cameras focusing on them as they did so.


Even though I’m bruised - with whatever strength I have left,
Oh, I will keep on fighting until I’m laid to rest.
Never forget...get...get me, never forget,
Never forget...get...get me, never forget.

Never forget...Never forget.
Never forget...Never forget.


At the end of the song, the group all came together, with Liam Narain in the middle of all of them, with all the dancers resting their heads on the broad shoulders of Liam. Liam was the only voice you could hear as the once lit stage slowly plunged into darkness. After a while, the audience in Normandy and Picardy applauded the performance, “Merci beaucoup tout le monde! Remercio teis, Le Havre, thank you Britonisea!” Liam shouted out towards the audience before he blew a kiss out to the audience. It was a very emotional moment for him. Whether he would make an impact on the scoreboard was yet to be known, but regardless of how he does in the end, he knows that he did a good job and most certainly sent an entry that Britons would remember for a long time in the future.

PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 2:43 pm
by Malta Comino Gozo
XX. Malta Comino Gozo
"Ħares Madwarek" - Benjamin Washington

Title Translation: Look Around You
Language(s): Maltese
Lyrics: Benjamin Washington
Music:Rikardu Farrugia and Benjamin Washington
Tune: Glen Vella Ħarsa Biss


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Benajmin Washington


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Background

Benjamin Washington (born 14 May 1998) is a Malta Comino Gozoan singer, baker and personal trainer.

Benjamin Washington debuted in the main Malta Comino Gozoan music scene in selections for the World Hit Festival 56 with the song "Appreciate", to which he came third. Benjamin started his singing career at the age of 13. He studied both practical and theory in voice and piano. He is certificated in voice coaching from the Briarwood Music and Arts College of Valletta.

Benjamin was nominated twice for the Best Male Artist in the Malta Comino Gozo Music Awards.

Benjamin became popular thanks to his participation as a residential singer on various television shows on the island including `Kalamita`, `Showtime`, `Sas-6`and ‘Sibtijiet Flimkien’. His voice could also be heard on several radio and television signature tunes and jingles.

In his spare time, he bakes loads of delicious Malta Comino Gozoan delicacies such as Kwarezimal. He is also a personal trainer and trains often at the gyms near where he lives near Balluha. Ħares Madwarek is the countries second entry in Maltese.

Ħares Madwarek "Look Around" is a song all about a breakup. Ben watched as one of his best friends relationships broke down. The two had been together for 2 years when the partner decided to go his separate ways after meeting somebody else. "I want Michael to miss me, miss me like there is a part of him dying. I want to take him to a place of utter devotion and need, then crush him as he crushed me. He likes sexy, I can be the best looking boy in town when I put in some effort. He likes soft and vulnerable, not hard to pull off since that used to be me. He likes boys that don't challenge his intellectual superiority, that's tougher since he could be outwitted by a brick. I'm ashamed to call him an ex-boyfriend, but since he's saddled me with being one of the "notches" he brags about, revenge isn't so much an option than an obligation. This is one guy he's gonna wish he'd treated better."


Performance

The stage in Le Havre was ready for the MCG entry. The postcard ended to huge applause as Benjamin took to the stage. He stood centre stage, alone dressed in a smart, formal blue suit. The view is of the whole stage from about halfway out The whole stage was dark and as the music started the LED floor turned to a whirling deep sea blue and the LED's at the back turned on as the clarinet played fading to black as the clarinet stopped and back on as it started again( no idea what instrument it is OOC sorry). The camera fades and smoothly fades into Ben standing in front of his microphone stand as he is lit in natural glowing light. The rest of the stage remains black. His raspy voice cuts through the arena. He looks downtrodden and concerned. His hand's slowly gesture in front of him as he sings the opening verse. The camera zooms out for the last two lines.

Ma nafx, dak li qed tħoss
Ma jimpurtanix, min qed tkun
Kull ma naf hu li tidher imdejqa
Nipprova, nipprova ngħinek


He turns around as he sings "Ħares Madwarek" (look around). The camera zooms in to him before we cut to a stage shot. He sings outwards gesturing towards the camera.

Ħares madwarek
Ma kienx hawn għal żmien twil
U taf li jien inħobbok
Imma huwa mar
U jien hawn għalik


The "Twirl" above the stage glows a natural yellow as the chorus continues. This lights up the stage and the crowd applauses. The boom camera pans over the audience towards Ben as spotlights penetrate through the dark reflecting off the camera lens as he sings about the breakup.

"You think you should matter to me still, yet you hurt me when I needed healing, you flung everything at me that could cause me to feel shame or guilt. Then you acted as if you were the victim and a martyr to boot. How can you matter to me when you became the antimatter of my psychology when you single-handedly created a black hole in my brain that threatened to destroy all that I was or ever could be? Your gas-lighting was aimed at reducing how well my logical brain functioned, to cause an imbalance between that and my creative brain, thus inducing a temporary psychosis that you then exploited for your own gain and... yes... used to pile on more guilt and shame. Since you've been gone I've been healthy and well... You sent me crazy on purpose. You are a monster and our breakup was long, long, long overdue."

The view is now a upper body shot, Ben grips the microphone firmly and sings intensely towards the camera. As the chorus ends the camera fades to a view from the back of the hall.

Ma nafx, għaliex telaq
Għamel żball, hu qatt ma nesa
Naf, li int imdejjaq
Imma int aħjar mill-bqija


Ben takes the microphone out of the stand. The LED background is now white and purple. And slowly takes a few steps forward. His eyebrows pulled closer together and the corners of his mouth were drawn downwards. He looks desolate and concerned.

Naf li int pjuttost
Naf li int tal-għaġeb
Imma nista 'ngħidlek li għandek bżonn ftit għajnuna ..


The onstage camera runs towards him from the back and semicircles him as Ben sings emotionally to the camera. The shot fades to a shot from just above the crowds.

Nista 'nkun hemm ukoll
Dejjem hemm għall-yo-o-oh
U jista 'jkollok triqtek
Mingħajr xejn xi ngħidu


A firework explosion on the LED screen lights up the entire stage triggering and igniting the "twirl" in natural light again. Pure snow white spotlights shoot out of the stage as the camera above the crowd slowly moves towards the stage before we reach Ben. We then have a closeup as he sings "Imma huwa mar" Ben stretches his left hand agonisingly out towards the camera. We can hear a choir supporting him now.

Ħares madwarek
Ma kienx hawn għal żmien twil
U taf li jien inħobbok
Imma huwa mar
U jien hawn għalik


The LED background behind him now a mix of purple and neon pink lights. A Northern lights effect is portrayed on the outer edges. A mixture of dark blues and lights blue with a hint of green. We then have various close-ups and stage shots. In each close-up Ben stares into the camera. As he holds the last note the LED's and spotlights turn a brilliant white as the camera pulls away slowly upwards from the stage outwards at an angle. The choir which was hidden, 3 men and 3 ladies steps towards out of the darkness behind him on his right. The men are dressed in dark blue and black suits and the women in black dresses.

Ma nafx, għaliex telaq
Għamel żball, hu qatt ma nesa
Naf, li int imdejjaq
Imma int aħjar mill-bqija
Int aħjar mill-bqija ...


He turns around as he sings "Ħares Madwarek" (look around) and turns back. We have a fabulous shot of the stage and twirl as it shines brightly as the camera pans around the edge of the front of the main stage. Ben takes a few more steps forward towards the steps. A camera on wheels rolls towards him as Ben looks towards it with his right hand out as it gets closer to the stage. We then have a dark blue liquidy background behind Ben as the spotlights roam around the arena. We then have a body shot as Ben that zooms in slowly as he rounds up the song. The mood of the song changes now and Ben has a subtle smile on his face now as the message of his song gets through as he sang about being there for him And I am here for you..

Ħares madwarek
Ħares madwarek
Ma kienx hawn għal żmien twil
U taf li jien inħobbok
Imma huwa mar
U jien hawn għalik


The crowd cheers loudly and applauds enthusiastically! Some MCG flags are waved in front of the camera as it shows the stage and Ben. He has a massive smile! "Grazzi! Grazzi Hafna Le Havre!" He speaks overcome with elation into the microphone. He leaves the stage.

I don’t know, what you're feeling
I don’t care, who you're being
All I know is that you seem upset
I try to, I try to help you

Look around you
He wasn’t here for long
And you know that I love you
But he’s gone
And I am here for you

I don’t know, why he left
Made a mistake, he’ll never forget
I know, that you’re upset
But you are better than the rest

I know that you're selfless
I know you're perfect
But I can tell you need a little help..

I can be there too
Always there for you..
And you can have your way
With nothing else to say

Look around you
He wasn’t here for long
And you know that I love you
But he’s gone
And I am here for you

I don’t know, why he left
Made a mistake, he’ll never forget
I know, that you’re upset
But you are better than the rest
You are better than the rest...

Look around you
Look around you
He wasn’t here for long
And you know that I love you
But he’s gone
And I am here for you..

PostPosted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 12:52 am
by Hafamarimyht
withdrawing :(

PostPosted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:30 pm
by Normandy and Picardy
XX. Normandy and Picardy
Marcel Dumoulin - "La Poème"

Title Translation:The Poem
Language(s): Normand French
Lyrics: Marcel Dumoulin, Jean-Pierre Gaulfier
Music: Marcel Dumoulin, Henri Taillier, Jean-Pierre Gaulfier
Tune: Michele Bravi - Mantieni il bacio



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Marcel Dumoulin, who is representing the host nation at the 58th World Hit Festival in Le Havre


Marie de l'Abre: Why World Hit Festival? Why now? And how do you think you you will cope with the obvious pressure that will be on your shoulders?
Marcel Dumoulin: Why World Hit Festival? Because I felt it was the right time for me and for the song, with perhaps the encouragement of Mme. Derrida here at SRNP. Obviously she has done a stellar job over the last few contests, and she really has pushed me on. I know it will be tough, but really I'm just here to go out there, to perform a song that I've written, and hopefully someone out there enjoys it.
Marie: Not bad for the young nervous pianist from Bayeux
Marcel: Ha ha, indeed, it is very cliche but I could never have pictured myself being in this position but here we are, and I'm just going to try and enjoy every minute of it
Marie: Well, thank you for joining us this evening Marcel, I look forward to seeing you in the Stade Oceane very soon...


So ended the final press interview that Marcel Dumoulin, the Normand representative at the 58th World Hit Festival, gave, on the official Normand World Hit Festival preview programme. The host of the contest, long time spokesperson and famous presenter Marie de l'Abre, was in charge of introducing all 23 competing entries to the audiences at home. The preview programme had long become an event in and of itself, with various life performances, sketches and interviews in typical Normand style, dragging everything out. And, of course, pride of prace had been given to the Normand entrant, Marcel Dumoulin, who, as was made very clear in his interview - as if he needed any more reminding of the fact - had rather the burden on his back, having to follow on not just from a winner, but two winners in a row. That would certainly be no mean feat, and it was something that did occupy Marcel in the last couple of days before the contest itself. He told himself there was little chance of a third win, and hoped that people would realise he wasn't a miracle worker. He was a classically trained pianist turned vocalist, that was all. He'd simply give it his best shot and try to have some fun whilst he was at it. That only partly worked though as he walked through the streets of Le Havre. SRNP had kindly put him up in the hotel complex with the rest of the delegations, so he could imagine it as a bit of a holiday. The only difference being he would be performing in front of millions. Yep, definitely a holiday.

Behind the scenes, all the final touches on the contest were being placed. Rehearsals were fully in swing but things of course were naturally a bit chaotic; it was a SRNP production of course, ever teetering between the threat of strike and not having the best of equipment. No one was quite sure of why they had agreed to take up the task again, although they had hoped the experience from hosting in Amiens might help matters a little, and in many ways it had. They roughly knew what they were doing now, whereas last contest they really had gone in blind. There were additional complications now though. For a start, the venue itself. The Stade Oceane was normally home to football matches, not music festivals, and it had a rather large hole in the roof which had to temporarily be closed. That had been a nightmare for the Normand team to figure out, but here they were. They had agreed to the plans drawn up by Le Havre, who had beaten Avranches, Caen and Beauvais for the right to host the contest, but now they realised that the logistics were surprisingly such a nightmare for what was a major hub, one of the largest ports in Europe. Ah, that classic SRNP competence! One person who could not be blamed in all this was the head of the Normand delegation, Simone Derrida, who had overseen Normandy and Picardy's "revival" in the contest and the final breaking of the so-called "curse" that had afflicted the country since the bodged hosting of the 24th festival. That experience very much still loomed large, of course, and fuelled the decisions being made in Le Havre so many years later. Simone herself did not have a great role in overseeing the construction efforts or anything like that, and instead devoted her time to hospitality for the competing delegations who had travelled to Normandy and Picardy from across the multiverse, even Marcel who had only had to come up the road from Bayeux.

It had, as always, been Simone who had decided that Marcel was the perfect fit to represent Normandy and Picardy at the World Hit Festival, via the technique that she had honed over the years of essentially waiting, via her contacts around the music industry and frequenting of gigs and musical bars, for the act to present themselves. In this case, the link had come from Jean-Pierre Gaulfier, who the eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed is credited as one of the songwriters behind the Normand entry this contest. Jean-Pierre definitely had history in the contest; he had represented Normandy and Picardy, coming 4th - at the time the countries best result in many contests - in the 51st World Hit Festival alongside Sacha Deschamps with their song "Comme Une Enfant", and had later essentially been coerced by Simone into helping write the Normand entry for the 53rd World Hit Festival, "Ej syis lâquin ou mitaun des reflets", performed by Gerard Arduane and which had come 2nd, the result requiring a tie break. It had been Simone who had first spoted Jean-Pierre in a bar in Amiens, well before people had even dreamed of it playing host to the very contest itself. The two had since become close friends and still regularly met, and they happened to do so when the two of them happened to be in Rouen a couple of months after the momentous contest in Amiens (Jean-Pierre had actually been in the crowd in the Zenith). Over the course of a meal of typically French/Normand length, many things were discussed, but we only care about one contest.

Jean-Pierre mentioned he had been working with a young pianist, Marcel Dumoulin, alongside another friend, Henri Tallier, and thought the song was very promising. Indeed, the three of them had discussed entering the song into the Festival de la College de Cherbourg. This would have to be into the junior contest, as Marcel was hardly an established name in the Normand music industry, but Jean-Pierre genuinely believed this would be the song that might help him break in. Simone naturally was intrigued by this; this was very much her territory. She convinced Jean-Pierre to send a recording over to her and allow her to have a listen; if nothing else, she knew people at the College who might help the song's chances of getting put into the contest. There was going to be no question at that, not at all. This was perfect, this was her World Hit Festival entry to represent the country in Le Havre. Many phone calls ensued. Simone met Marcel, and this provides us as good a reason as any to finally talk about Marcel himself, given he is actually the act taking part this contest. Marcel Dumoulin, 25, is a classically trained pianist from the town of Bayeux, deep in the heart of Normandy and Picardy. It is a historical city, home to the famous tapestry no less, but in the present day it was hardly the centre of Normand life, cultural or otherwise. Yet, it was where a young Marcel had taken up the poem as he entered into his teenage years to help deal with his stress and anxiety issues. Well, he had actually played about on his father's old piano for years, but he only started having lessons later on. Soon, he found himself at the College of Cherbourg itself. Of course, this was a daunting experience at first for him, but he was able to flourish through his music. He has since given performances at various different events. Jean-Pierre indeed had met Marcel at a concert in Cherbourg, and soon they both considered working together. At first, Jean-Pierre had been intending to provide vocals, but he learnt from of all sources Marcel's mother than he "wasn't a bad singer either". And from that, and Marcel's experiences during his teenage years and into his early adulthood, trying to make sense of the world, "La Poème" was born.

As you may well be able to guess, SImone, as always, eventually got her way. Marcel had definitely been unsure at first, but Jean-Pierre especially, and SImone too, did their best to encourage him, and indeed continued to do so up until the very contest itself, sitting alongside him in the studio in the Stade Oceane. But that is to be a bit eager now. Things were put on the back burner for a while as the focus in SRNP definitely shifted to the hosting of the contest itself. Months passed. Some began to think that the Normands might have either had trouble finding an entry - which made little sense given the circumstances - or had just forgotten. Neither suggestion was that outlandish. Indeed, SRNP had built up a fair reputation for releasing details about the entries rather late. This nearly never, however, reflected any internal chaos within SRNP, and that was no different this time; the chaos was to be found elsewhere within the broadcaster. With around two months until the contest itself, La Poème was revealed as the Normand entry. The response was mad. The Normands had always been fond of their WHF entries, even during the rough periods of participation, and the songs nearly always charted. Indeed, every song since WHF54 had debuted at number one. This, unsurprisingly, was to be no different for Marcel, but the response was well beyond that. Marcel himself went overnight from not all that well known outside of the right circles to a major name, appearing on various television programmes and the like. His schedule was packed as never before as he made the final preparations, as he prepared for Le Havre. And this all culminated in, well, the actual contest itself, but of course also the preview show...


Marie de l'Abre: Good Evening Marcel, we're really happy to have you here with us. Now, just to get us started, tell us a little about yourself... No, I didn't really want to ask that either, everyone knows who you are now but it's on the card so I'm afraid you have to answer it
Marcel: Haha, right then. Good Evening, I am Marcel Dumoulin, originally from Bayeux, and I will be representing all of Normandy and Picardy in Le Havre with my song, La Poème...




It was time, at last, for the Normand entry, the home entry once again. A few people still hadn't quite processed that fact, some of them indeed in the audience in Le Havre. In any case, the crowd in the arena had made themselves known, as much applauding the Normand entry coming next as much as, if not more than, the Axuvan entry beforehand. On the one hand, this definitely gave M. Dumoulin a bit of a boost. He had the crowd on side, and he could very easily draw on that. His hands stopped shaking as much as they had been, which would have been no use. Then he remembered, however, just how much pressure was on his shoulders. The same thought was shared by the entire Normand team, from the SRNP production crew who had put on the entire show, but especially didn't want to screw up their own entry, to the official delegation sat in the greenroom attached to the stage, where an extremely nervous Simone Derrida, who had never, ever dreamed she would end up this position when she was drafted in to fill the spot of Head of Delegation what felt a lifetime ago. Somewhere in Avranches, at SRNP headquarters, certain people were really hoping they would not win again; they had nearly bankrupted SRNP with this second hosting; they would find it hard to afford a third. Someone had told them that they didn't necessarily have to host the next contest, but that message clearly hadn't sunk in.

In any case, there was hope they could manage it again. A hope found in the crowd in the Stade Oceane. A hope that at once buoyed and worried Marcel, who hoped he was sweating too much already in his all blue suit, and that his hair hadn't started to collapse on him, or anything silly that, as he walked onto the stage following his large, old piano; indeed, it was his, the actual piano that he had played whilst practising when he was younger, and still had at his house. It was certainly not in the best shape and Marcel and his father before him had certainly given it a beating, which made it absolutely perfect for the job No one else would know this, of course, but it made him feel better. He might even try to pretend he was at home, and didn't have the eyes of millions of people peering at him down the other end of a satellite link (or whatever technology the Todlichebujoki's were using this time around and had helped the Normand broadcaster with). Plus, the aesthetic was the real draw for this, the visual those millions of eyes would be watching as their millions of ears listened. Deep breaths. Deep breaths, that's what they'd said as he left the dressing room, as the last technician left the upper stage, where the piano was sat. The postcard music came to an end. The crowd were actually quieter than usual. Then again, for a majority Normand crowd that knew the song very well indeed already, there was a reason why...

That reason was the rather sudden start of the song, Marcel's songs softly but rapidly finding their way onto the piano keys, pressing down. He wasn't playing live, of course, or at least it certainly wasn't being recorded, but he made sure he could feel the keys properly. This mattered for more than him though, as the first camera shot, an instant cut from a fade to black which had provided the transition out of the pre-performance, was focused squarely on his hands from a shot by steadicam (highly zoomed in) from behind the piano (i.e. looking out to the audience, as much as they could be seen, given just a single, faint light shone down, at a slight angle down from the x-y plane. A fade to black. This provided a transition to the next shot, close in again but now from the front of the stage, and actually showing all of Marcel as he played the piano, head slightly bent down both for microphone purposes and for 'acting' purposes. In the faint, white glow, which almost seemed to flow down rippling onto the stage, and as the camera slowly zoomed out over the course of the verse, the top of the piano could be seen, strewn with various papers, looking rather old indeed, and old books, and just generally looking like a mess. Of course, this was meant to accord with the lyrics of the song, the idea being something along the lines of "here are all the attempts to write something etc. that have failed", lying on top of the piano representing the worn figure of whom Marcel sings, in many ways himself.


Quelques temps je sens comme une poème sans sa fin
Les vers incomplètes, ils piquent comme une blessure
Je suis dévoilé et ma douleur est en exposition
Et je n'ai que les mots, aucun des significations
Pour écrire une histoire neuve et etre moi


Another thing that could be seen more clearly at that point, and which would be seen even moreso as the chorus progressed, was the layer of smoke over the top of the main, back stage, that slowly twisted and turned its way around the legs of the piano, Marcel's stool, and his own legs too; which occassionaly rose up in little plumes, even catching what little light it could in the scene which almost looked black and white, although no filter or effect was being used, or at least, it shouldn't've been; that billowed over the edge of the stairs around the high stage area, like the gentlest waterfall you have ever laid eyes on, as silly a metaphor as that is of course. The fact that any of these latter aspects could be seen was thanks to the camerawork over the chorus, which began with a quick fade out of the shot from the verse into a shot looking over the top of the piano, over all the notes, all the pages, lying spread across the surface, and looking across to Marcel, who, for the first time in the song, looked up himself for a moment towards the camera, moving his head up exactly on the beat, his eyes, his gaze reaching out, and hopefully drawing the audiences in. From this initial position, there was a slow pan upwards and clockwise around the piano/centre of the main stage as its pivot, slowly turning down to keep focus on the stage as it 'corkscrewed' its way up and around, so that the scene described, or at least the smoke described here, could be seen. Further, the LED strips around the edge of the stage ornamentation could be seen slightly flickering, like old neon street signs but again in white, and thus adding a little bit of light, inconstant as it is, to push out into the darkness of the surroundings within the Stade Oceane as the chorus progressed.

Marcel sat almost stuck to his piano stool - although he knew he would have to move at some point - as his fingers glided across the keys, suggesting a level of composure that he certainly did not feel inside. The brief look to the camera especially had reminded him of the stakes. He knew he would have to get a grip. He would let himself focus on his singing and playing, try and forget everything else, and just let his musical voice and that of the piano, and of course the other instrumentation, do the talking. As he played, he had to counter with a fact that had become somewhat apparent when the focus was on him and the piano in the verse, namely the state of the piano and its keys. As noted, it was an old piano, and slightly worse for wear. This general state manifested itself on the keyboard, with the old ivories chipped here and there, and the odd key missing entirely. Whilst the camera had not been directly focused on the piano, the fact that one of the main notes in the song was actually missing on the piano was not as much a problem, but a lot of focus was brought to that very fact towards the end of the chorus where, just before the transition to the second 'verse' (as close as the structure of the song will allow), the camera feed, which once the top of the corkscrew had been reached had proceed to give a series of increasingly close pans, focusing once more on the piano as he finger shifted to press the key and... it was missing.


Un milier des voix, un milier des mots vide de sens
Un milier des silences
Pendant que j'essaye assmebler quelque chose des fragments
Les mots ne viennent pas ensemble facilement
J'peux pas faire l'encre couler
Et je suis chiffonné, déchiré
Ils sont juste les lettres stupides qui crient vers la vide
Parmi des plis et déchirures
Jusqu'au c'que j'sois abandonné enfin
Juste une autre poème sans fin


This precipitated the sudden shift to the next section of the song, which was accompanied by a cut to what at first seemed a rather bizarre shot rather close to the floor of the main stage. Not so close to literally just be smoke, not even filling half of the screen, but certainly more so than usual. This is as the shift in the song was to be heralded by a series of lights across the main stage floor slowly coming to life, almost as though they were flickering beacons or searchlights trying to break out into the ocean, or rather oceans in this case (the smoke and the wider stadium), little drops of hope amongst the wider, rather forlorn scene that was playing out. The effect became more obvious as the camera moved slowly up and out and showed the lights dotted around the stage, their foundations handily hidden by the smoke such that they seemed to arise from within it, and now actually providing the majority of the lighting, especially now the flicker LED strips had ceased their work. And this also precipated a slight shift in tone, from the whites before to a warmer light, as though from old light bulbs.

Marcel, for his part, mostly carried on and did his job. Well, that makes it sound rather robotic, which would certainly unfair to Marcel and the definite emotion he was feeling as he performed a song that was for him very personal, based on his own internal battles and his struggle to try and find a version of himself he could be happy with and the intense feelings of isolation he had felt - as if cast at sea much as he and his piano were within the sea of smoke - and had thus fuelled the writing of the song. It was in the little things. The posture. The glances to the camera, momentary, fleeting, yet packed full of emotion. The shift from just glances to singing towards the camera, out towards the multiverse as it moved ever closer to him (a few different shots here and there notwithstanding). Partly, it was confidence. Or, well, something approaching confidence, perhaps foolhardyness, but whatever it was it was doing its job, driving Marcel. Partly, it was conversely, almost pervesely, so that his fragility could be ever more clear.


J'ai connu chaque strophe
Et j'ai connu chaque moment
Chaque chagrin et chaque sourire
Pas juste des lettres, sentiments
Mais maintenant j'ai pas les mots pour écrire
Une poème neuve
Pour réussir l'épreuve

Je m'apitoye sur moi-même comme j'étais
Je fixais l'horizon lointain du regard, et
En essayant trouver un étincelle
Encore, j'ai été abandonné
Une autre poème sans fin


As the mellowed down a little, this was precisely the moment where Marcel would provide a bit of movement by, well, physically moving. Funny how that works. But no, let's be serious. At first continuing to be seated and singing, he slowly brought his hands up and, almost seeming to collect up all the energy of a sight without actually, you know, sighing, he brought down the case over the keyboard, and slowly slid one of his hands down along the edge. A quick change of shot and a fade in with a pan allowed for Marcel to stand up from the stool without it looking too awkward and, removing the microphone from the stand by which it had been held to the piano, he came around the far side of the piano from the audience, with a certain air of melancholy about him. Keeping close, he began to search through the papers, the notes, the books on the lid. 'Search' is perhaps the wrong word as it was not as if he was actively trying to find anything, nor was there anything to find, which only seemed to add to the general ambience. What he was doing looked as if he would find some clue amongst these things but there was to be none, no clever trick with the paper or one of the books or anything like that. This was just Marcel and some old papers, stories never told, poems never finished, at once put aside and yet here centre stage. As the strings came in slightly towards the end of this section, a series of lights around the back of the stage slowly brightened up before fading out again, just to provide a bit of an action, and indeed as the music fizzled away, there was another fade out, or rather the image being broadcast went more hazy; don't worry, there is no need to adjust your sets.

Piégé sur la page, devant les yeux
Des tous les témoins qui ne regardent rien
J'suis debout ici nu, mais dénudé, sans être vu
Exposé et faible, mais aussi seul et perdu
J'ai nulle part où aller, nulle part où me réfugier de moi
Pendant tout ce temps, je cherche une sortie d'entre les lignes


Marcel had come around to the front of the top area of the stage, albeit leaving some room before the stairs down for the steadicam operator who was going to have a bit of a difficult life here, trying first not to crash into the light beacons dotted around the stage, nor indeed trip over himself as he turned around Marcel as he sang, and finally, walking backgrounds down the stairs, but that was only to come after the 'chorus' proper. In any case, as you'll have noted from this, this second chorus was quite well focused on Marcel and his singing, and he turned and followed the camera as it moved around in a circle; indeed, there was a moment where over his shoulders you could see all the phone flashlights turned on in the crowd; the Normand delegation had requested as such, and unsurprisingly, the crowd had been happy to oblige. It was just a nice little touch, but the real focus was on Marcel himself, pouring his heart into the performance whilst himself trying to keep his composure and not get too dizzy. He had actually put his microphone on top of a stand and slowly twirled this around and walked around it as a central pivot as he walked around. A series of new 'spotlights', not at all that strong nor again, much like Marcel earlier, particularly looking for anything, but simply to add a little something extra to the whole lighting situation. Indeed, they occassionaly found their way on their paths over Marcel himself, and otherwise just provided a nice little highlight. Still, really, the focus was on Marcel, his face contorting, almost slightly bent over the stand, and his almost deferential look up towards the camera.

Un milier des voix, un milier des mots vide de sens
Un milier des silences
Pendant que j'essaye assmebler quelque chose des fragments
Les mots ne viennent pas ensemble facilement
J'peux pas faire l'encre couler
Et je suis chiffonné, déchiré
Ils sont juste les lettres stupides qui crient vers la vide
Parmi des plis et déchirures
Jusqu'au c'que j'sois abandonné enfin
Juste une autre poème sans sa fin


And so the song itself moved ever onwards, ever higher, not going into a big final soaring moment but certainly creating a moment as it worked slowly towards its conclusion. Yet, in contrast to this, in a way, Marcel moved lower, or specifically, he was going to walk down the stairs down towards the forward stage platform. Here, then, is the difficulty that the steadicam operator faced, as SRNP and the Normand delegation had given him the awful task of trying to walk background and keep filming, looking up towards Marcel as he walked down closer to the front, closer to the crowd too, some of whom actually gave a little cheer as he began to descend. As Marcel descended the staircase, microphone in hand (and sans stand), and with a fair amount of space between him and the camera operator (like, a good number of steps) the moving light beams could be seen much more easily as could in general the whole of the backdrop. The smoke that covered the top layer and which poured over the edges and down the stairs almost seemed to be trying to reach out to Marcel, to pull him back in.

As Marcel reached the bottom of the staircase, more lights slowly beginning to fade in and out and twinkle, slowly building up the effect and perhaps providing the little bit of oomph the song needed at this point, the camera moved around again as Marcel just seemed almost to be soaking up the general atmosphere filling the Stade Oceane. He had never quite felt anything like this, and he knew it would all be over soon, but he had to keep going. His arms almost seemed to gain a mind of their own as they followed the music and the lyricism, adding that extra element of expression, eeking out every last drop of emotion. Marcel genuinely felt quite exhausted at this point, which in its own way actually helped add to the general vibe. In any case, he left the steadicam behind as he walked out onto the forward stage platform, where a shot begin looking down over the 15,000 strong audience in the stadium provided cover the operator to make his exit. From this position looking at the crowd, it turned anticlockwise to show the whole stage set up as described, having cumulatively built up over the course of the song. Then, time for some more panning shots, intersperesed with overlaid shots, fading in and out, of Marcel singing.


J'ai connu chaque strophe
Et j'ai connu chaque moment
Chaque chagrin et chaque sourire
Pas juste des lettres, sentiments
Mais maintenant j'ai pas les mots pour écrire
Une poème neuve
Pour réussir l'épreuve

Je m'apitoye sur moi-même comme j'étais
Je fixais l'horizon lointain du regard, et
En essayant trouver un étincelle
Encore, j'ai été abandonné
Une autre poème sans sa fin


As the violins in the instrumentation soared, so did a camera again beginning towards the back of the stadium and quickly (albeit not horrendously so) moving forwards and zooming in, with the shot almost seeming to pass over Marcel's shoulder to show the LED screen, which had been built by Normand technicians and payed for by Normand money and yet had barely been used by the delegation for its own performance (of course it was hardly a waste for SRNP given the fact they were hosting the contest). In fairness, it had in a way been used throughout the song, but barely; it had remained pretty much a deep dark blue, with a few patterns of an ever so slightly less dark blue moving across to break it up a little and stop it just being a big block of blue, serving as a backdrop for the performance. Now, instead, various words and phrases in the languages of the competing countries faded in at across the board, some larger, some smaller; think of something like the staging for Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente at Eurovision, albeit the words here are only on the screen. There was to be no pyro curtain, no, nothing of the sort for this final closing section. Instead, it would be the power of the words, the potential for which is of course one of the key themes of the song, and Marcel, standing on the forward platform, and reaching out, calling out for help - metaphorically speaking; in reality, he was fine and, although the nerves had never truly subsided, the job was nearly done at least - that would be emphasised as the song reached its final moments. And yet, as the end approached, the lights slowly began to fade. From a large wide shot of the stage, Marcel singing the final set of notes, the final calls, was overlaid, slowly fading in. The final shot was of Marcel stood, his whole body and outfit shown, opening up his eyes and looking straight into the camera and a single spotlight flickered away.

Peut-être un jour, quelqu'un d'autre ecrira ma histoire
Peut-être quelque personne me donnera les mots qui j'ai besoin
Mais ici et maintenant, je dois prendre un stylo
Et les chercher à nouveau
Finalement écrire cette fin


Deep breaths. He certainly needed them now, as the crowd in the Stade Ocean went absolutely mad, applauding much more loudly than they had for any of the other acts really, even those which were evidently the crowd favourites. This of course was no surprise, but in any case, Marcel was more than grateful. "Merci!", he shouted, not really being able to say anything else. He needed a stiff drink. And, at least now, he could enjoy the rest of the contest, he thought to himself as he made his way off the stage and the preparations for the act from Rhim Flavezztowland were made. But the most difficult part of the night was yet to come...


Sometimes I feel like a poem without an end
The unfinished verses, they sting like a wound
I am laid bare, my pain put on show
And I only have the words, none of the meanings
To write a new story, to be me again

A thousand voices, a thousand words meaning nothing
A thousand silences
As I try to piece something together from the fragments
The words won't come together easily
I can't make the ink flow
And I'm screwed up and torn up
Just stupid words that scream nothing
Among the creases and tears
Until at last I'm left
Just a poem with no end

I've lived through every stanza
And I've lived every moment
Each smile and each heartbreak
Not just letters but feelings
But now I don't have the words
To write a new poem, to pass the test [here the french word suggests specifically a part of something, like a paper in an exam - i.e. he can't move on to the next stage of his life]
I'm stuck wallowing in what I've been
I've been staring out into distance
Trying to find a spark of inspiration
But I've been left again, another poem without an ending

Trapped on the page before the eyes
Of all the witnesses who see nothing
I stand here naked and and yet denuded and unseen
Exposed and weak, but also alone and lost
I have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from myself
And all the while, I'm trying to find a way out from between the lines

A thousand voices, a thousand words meaning nothing
A thousand silences
As I try to piece something together from the fragments
The words won't come together easily
I can't make the ink flow
And I'm screwed up and torn up
Just stupid words that scream nothing
Among the creases and tears
Until at last I'm left
Just a poem with no end

I've lived through every stanza
And I've lived every moment
Each smile and each heartbreak
Not just letters but feelings
But now I don't have the words
To write a new poem, to pass the test
I'm stuck wallowing in what I've been
I've been staring out into distance
Trying to find a spark of inspiration
But I've been left again, another poem without an ending

And maybe one day someone else will write my story
Perhaps someone will give me the words I need
But right now, I have to pick up the pen
And try to find them anew
And finally write that ending

PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 1:30 am
by Kalosia
XX. Kalosia
"Travias los ehtasiones" - Medici Sin Fronciaras

Title Translation: Through the seasons
Language(s): Lecirian
Lyrics: Alehandro & Franciaska Marcines
Music: Alehandro & Franciaska Marcines
Tune: Tichá pieseň — Peter Bič Project (alternate link)


For purposes of this song, Lecirian orthography/spelling is pronounced the exact same as Italian orthography, EXCEPT:
— The letter C is always soft, making an English "ch" sound
— The letter K exists in place of Q and hard C
— The letter J is pronounced like the English Y (so just like Kalosian)
— The letter H is aspirated not silent, like in English


For background, Leciro (pronounced "lé-seer-row", Kalosian: Ležero, Lecirian: Leciaro) is a region in western Kalosia. The capital of Leciro province is Palmañë, which hosted the 37th World Hit Festival. The region is the homeland of the Lecirian people, an ethnic group native to Kalosia. They have a mother tongue: Lecirian (Kalosian: Ležeresë, Lecirian: Leciares), which is considered a recognized minority language by the national government and has official status in Leciro. Unlike Kalosian, which is descended from the Italic branch of the Romance language family, Lecirian is descended from the Iberian branch. This means that it is much closer to Spanish than it is to Kalosian, and you may notice this in the lyrics below.

The Lecirian language will make its debut at the World Hit Festival after the duo Los Medici Sin Fronciaras (Lecirian: Medici without borders) won the Kalosian national final for the international competition. They are a brother and sister duo, consisting of members Alehandro and Franciaska Marcines. They named the band in honour of their late mother, who was a nurse for Medicins Sans Frontieres. When the two were little, she told them that, if they believe in themselves, the two will one day grow up to become as rich and powerful as the Medici dynasty that once flourished in Italy. Although the two of them — who also go by their nicknames Ale and Francia — no longer desire riches and power, the words have still stuck to this day.

The song they are going to sing, Travias los ehtasiones, deals with loss as well. Although Ale & Francia have said that it isn't specifically about anyone, let alone about their mother who passed many many years ago, the song invokes the four seasons from the perspective of someone in grief. It is not explicitly clear whether the person has lost someone to death or if they had simply parted ways, although the final lines of the song seem to suggest the former. The person who mourns ends with a conclusion: that the lost will live on through the flowers they grow.

The song, due to its rather minimalist arrangement and melancholic vibe, drew comparisons with Anollasia's WHF winning song several editions ago. The band, especially for their style, has drawn comparisons to Kalosian WHF winner Corpus Calosum as well. However, the duo have defended themselves saying that they are simply being themselves. As Ale said, "Your feelings are only authentic when they come from you, not when they come from someone else. We put our heart into everything we do, and we believe the authenticity will show."

Kalosia was drawn to perform after debuting nation Admincohns Namerryaz. After their entrant Yemiti Lagrenov stepped off the stage, it was Ale & Francia's turn to shine. Well, "shine". The staging was not to be very flashy considering the somber nature of the song.

The two were wearing what looked more like an autumn look — coats, scarves, and an overall greyscale outfit. Both of them brought guitars to stage, and these made the basis of the entire song (there was a backing track, but the sounds are very subtle in comparison). Once the cue came, the two started playing their guitars.

Instantly, the stage became bathed in an intense red. Not plain red, as the background graphics showed a red-tinted sunset. But it was very, very, saturated in red. Without a lot of other illumination, what wasn't red was dark, except for maybe Ale and Francia who were illuminated just enough to be visible. They start singing.
Non siantas piana por mi
Viaro, no es kualpa cia
Ke mio cialo es ruaso
Es kuasi da esa nuace

Ah, si pogiara un arbor
Fuarce in kada ehtasio
Jo puadria pruacehiar-ce
In il verano kaluruaso

Now the giant stage ornament (y'know, the thing that looks like gourmet cake decoration) turned blue, while everything else remained as is. In fact, the blue "bled" onto it. This created a stunning, deep duotone effect. The cameras this whole time are mainly focused on the singers and what's going on on stage, not showing the audience all that much.
Si il cialo givianta blu
Es por nuahtras lakrimas
Lasan fluir la trihciaza
In los rios d’eciarnida

Ah, si pogiara un arbor
Fuarce in kada ehtasio
Jo puadria pruacehiar-ce
In il otuagno mah suambrio


Slowly, the blue bleeds to the rest of the set. The background, although it has turned blue from red, is otherwise showing the same mountain forest view scenery. But what a difference a single colour change can make, as now it looks less like a sunset and more like the early hours of a winter dawn.
I las nuaces son frios
Sin la fuako de cia alma
Ma el pensiaro de cio kuare
Da me kalor, da me paz

Ah, si pogiara un arbor
Fuarce in kada ehtasio
Jo puadria pruacehiar-ce
In il inviarno mah duro

Now came the instrumental break. It feels absolutely miserable to people who don't like dirges, but to those who enjoy folk ballads, it is a moment of ardour. Gradually, the deep blue of the background lightens up as if it really were a winter dawn. The colour of the ornament and the overall lighting of the stage reflect this as well. But the whole time, the camera focuses on Ale & Francia, closing up on them as they both play the guitar in this incredibly intimate moment.

Finally, the time has come to sing the last lines of the song. The camera offers less intimate shots, not exactly wide shots but they're not close ups. Of course they've been looking out towards the audience and the camera when convenient, but for the final line of the next song, the camera angle switches to one in front of them. As they sing the last word of the song, they look up towards the camera, with emotion in their eyes.
Primaviara ehta ki
Es la primera sin ci
Cio rikuardo viviara
En ehtas fluares ke riago

As the song comes to an end, the stage lights go back on to its default setting. The song is over, and the crowd cheers. "Grases!" Ale shouts, thanking the audience in Lecirian, followed by Francia doing the same in English, "Thank you!".

After a few moments, the two promptly leave the stage as it gets prepared for the next entrant, The Goolies from Beepee.
Don’t feel sorry for me
Really, it’s not your fault
That my sky is red
It’s been like this since that night

Ah, if I could be a tree
Strong in every season
I could protect you
In the hot summer

If the sky turns blue
It’s because of our tears
Letting the sorrow flow
Into the rivers of eternity

Ah, if I could be a tree
Strong in every season
I could protect you
In the gloomiest autumn

And the nights are cold
Without the fire of your soul
But the thought of your heart
Gives me warmth, gives me peace

Ah, if I could be a tree
Strong in every season
I could protect you
In the harshest of winters

Spring is here
It’s the first one without you
Your memory will live on
In these flowers that I grow

PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 12:41 pm
by Not Auphelia
XX. Not Auphelia
"Slow" - Kitty Claws

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Aaliyah Chedidi (Kitty Claws), Jacob Hollings, Maria Black
Music: Lydia Rasat and Aaliyah Chedidi
Tune: Song!


The Performance

Image


A woman in a massive coat stands on a platform on her stage, surrounded by twinkling mirror balls. The purple and pink tinted lights reflect in a dazzling array all around her, a prismatic spray of light casting her and her dancers in gorgeous light. She takes off a large pair of dark purple tinted glasses, looking into the camera at the audience at home as she tosses them past the camera and into the audience as the song starts. The arch above them all and the background LEDs begin to pulsate to a slowly growing beat as the dancers and the young woman, Kitty Claws, begins her performance.

The background dancers move with fluid motions, a well-practiced routine not yet turned stale with time. Their movements are fresh and energetic, youthful exuberance incarnate. The younger crowd likely recognise the choreography from the popular music video and subsequent social media phenomenon that launched the song to fame in the lead up to the World Hit Festival competition.

Image


Don’t be tempted baby, there’s nothing wrong with waiting
I love you and you know it, we’ve got to go slow
One moment at a time, I love the way you touch me
I want you to go faster, we’ve got to go slow

Don’t be tempted baby, there’s nothing wrong with waiting
I love you and you know it, we’ve got to go slow
One moment at a time, I love the way you touch me
I want you to go faster, we’ve got to go slow


Kitty shrugs off her massive coat, stepping down off the platform and joining her dancers in the choreography as she sings the next verse.

Image


It’s been a long time since we met that day
Been givin’ me all your love, make sure I ain’t running dry
How can we go so slow (can’t help myself)
'Cause I don’t know if I can hold it
I wanna jump you, ‘cause we’re goin’ too slow
But we can go as slow as you like
If you want then I'll calm down now
If you want it scream and shout it, babe
Before I go too fast


The mirror balls and lights go wild, shining and shimmering all through the stage and audience as the dancers and Kitty Claws slip back into their hypnotic dance, rolling and shaking everything to the catchy beat.

Image


Don’t be tempted baby, there’s nothing wrong with waiting
I love you and you know it, we’ve got to go slow
One moment at a time, I love the way you touch me
I want you to go faster, we’ve got to go slow

Don’t be tempted baby, there’s nothing wrong with waiting
I love you and you know it, we’ve got to go slow
One moment at a time, I love the way you touch me
I want you to go faster, we’ve got to go slow


The following portion would provide fodder for the social media mobs for days to come - weeks, even. Gyrating. Twerking. Suggestive dancing with mirror balls. Abstractly simulating certain sexual acts with one another.

Staying just on the right side of legal and the wrong side of the morality police, it was clear from the audience reaction that it was a popular move.

Image


My heart beats ba-bum, my lips gone slick (ha)
Rabbits never gonna go this fast, he’s quick (ah)
Waterfall ready for his mouth in one lick
Do I want him on the bed or on his knees, can’t pick
Lick it, slurp it, munch it, gulp
Chew my fruit into a pulp
Watch it make my body roll
Don’t you love me going fast?
Grinding, moaning, twisting, shush
Lost in all my wild bush
Hack it and you’ll see me gush
There’s no shame in lovin’ me (yeah, yeah)
Been goin’ too fast now you can see the real me
From small and real timid to a freak at warp speed
But you’re too slow you don’t got what I need
Can’t keep up with my miles, time for you to just leave


Riding high on the cheering and shouting from the audience, she went through the end of her performance on a wave of hundreds of people singing along to her song, many young people following along with the choreography all throughout the stadium, the cameras occasionally cutting away from the stage to show off a particularly skilled fan.

Image


Don’t be tempted baby, there’s nothing wrong with waiting
I love you and you know it, we’ve got to go slow
One moment at a time, I love the way you touch me
I want you to go faster, we’ve got to go slow

Don’t be tempted baby, there’s nothing wrong with waiting
I love you and you know it, we’ve got to go slow
One moment at a time, I love the way you touch me
I want you to go faster, we’ve got to go slow


Eventually the song comes near its end, and right on the last word Kitty Claws raises her microphone up to catch the last "slow" as it is shouted by everyone singing along. Thunderous applause greets her and follows her and her dancers off stage.

PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:30 pm
by Teesdexxia
XX. Teesdexxia
"Telephone" - Roads to Juneau

Language(s): English
Lyrics: Matthew Fields
Music: M. Fields, Gareth Evans
Tune: Funeral For A Friend - Streetcar


Image
Roads To Juneau
[L to R] Gareth (Rhythm Guitar), Derek (Lead Guitar) Matty (Lead Vocals), Ry (Bass/Backing Vocals), Chris (Backing Vocals/Lead Guitar)


Roads To Juneau are a Teesdexxian post-hardcore band, formed in Thornaby in 2019 by lead singer Matthew Fields and bassist Ryan Weatherford, whom are childhood friend and had wanted to form a band since their teen years. After a few early line-up changes and an underground but relatively successful first independent release, the boys finally debuted their major debut single, "Telephone", in early 2021. While their first releases were successful in the scope of their circumstance, "Telephone" proved to be their first commercial hit, doing well on the Teesdexxian charts for a song of this genre.

With another edition of the World Hit Festival approaching and with Teesdexxia's absence from the last couple of editions of the competition, many Teesdexxian fans were wondering whether TBA had completely given up on WHF altogether. This is when TBA made the shock last minute announcement that it planned to return to WHF for the 58th Edition in Le Havre, Normandy and Picardy, and that it was in conversation with some "currently charting artists" as to who would represent the nation. A couple days later this chosen artist was revealed to be Roads To Juneau, who would be performing their already released hit "Telephone" for the nation. An obviously last minute decision, some fans of both WHF and Roads to Juneau questioned the choice and TBA's commitment to the competition, but the currently popular song and a return to the competition at all was enough to quell most doubts people had.

Roads to Juneau flew to Le Havre almost immediately after the announcement, choosing to spend the oncoming weeks in the city to get practise as much as they could. Lead singer Matty confirmed in an interview that while the offer to represent the competition was unexpected, the boys would be taking it on with full responsibility and commitment, and promised to try and do the country proud on the world stage. He also added that the boys were enjoying their time in Normandy and Picardy as well, taking time as tourist as to not become burnt out.




As the dialling noises that open the song play, the stage stays in relative darkness until the guitar riff comes in along sides, with the guitar riff playing, we get a long shot of the stadium, with the spotlights from above all rapidly flashing in coordination with the sound of the guitar filling the stadium, but un-synced with each other in a messy flurry of lights. In the backing LEDs directly behind the stage then show a titled silhouette of a woman answering a payphone. The main vocals come in just after said woman answers “Hello?”, with the camera panning down and lights illuminating the main stage to show the whole band positioned on the upper stage. However, the camera quickly cuts to another angle after the lyric “goes”, while on this lyric, spark pyrotechnics shoot up from the around the main stages. Cutting to a view of the lead singer through one of the “waves”, for the rest of the first verse the camera mainly focuses on the lead singer, interjected by wider shots of the whole band. As the band plays behind him, with the guitarists barely being able to stay in their designated spots, the leader singer sings out to the crowd as if at a festival, only ever going as far as the top of the stairs. This mostly continues into the first chorus, with the lights either side of the stage changing from an erratic flicker to a more synchronised fade in and out. The cameras also have focus shots on the guitarists.

And there it goes,
Another symphony,
But no lyrics will start to play,
The melody leads me away, the melody leads me away,
But you, you let me go astray.

So, I try, untangle this lie,
Caught up in love, won’t look above,
Blind to the bitter taste of the truth.


The staging and camera directions for the mid-section of the song follow much of the same order as the opening of the song, with more camera shots focusing on the guitarists cum backing singers and the rest of the band. During this section, the lead singer makes his way down to the lower stage, still singing mainly to the audience. With this extra space, the two lead guitarists have more space to move while playing.

In the same room, but so far apart,
Screaming for this all to end,
Waiting for you just to say it,
Cause I’m still just too in love.

So, I try, untangle this lie,
(Cut me free please)
Caught up in love, won’t look above,
(But I don’t want that release)
Blind to the bitter taste of the truth.
(Taste of the truth)
So, I try, untangle this lie,
(Cut me free please)
Caught up in love, won’t look above,
(But I don’t want that release)
Blind to the bitter taste of the truth, taste of the truth.


The stage goes dark again as the bridge intermission begins. The backing LEDs display the multiple people saying the tagline, everyone of them with their eyes blacked out by a messy, scribbled looking bar. As the music begins to amp back up, the staging mirrors this, with the spotlights, with many of the front ones now positioned much farther into the audience, mirroring the strumming of the guitar in their flashing, and the camera changing from tilted angle to tilted angle of the band, it’s members, stage and audience, more or less synchronised with the main beat of the drums until the main vocals return again. Once we head into the final chorus, the focus of the camera’s attention changes back to the lead singer. With the lights either side of the main stage turning back to a calmer fade, short flame pyrotechnics surround the outer edge of the lower stage, with the lead singer changing his attitude from singing to a festival crowd to singing directly at the camera in a way as if the viewer themselves was the person on the other end of the telephone. Beside him on the far left of the lower stage there is a prop of the same payphone seen in the silhouette at the beginning of the performance, with its phone dangling from its wire. As the lead singer passionately sings to the more stably focused camera, only switching between a few different angles of the lower stage and the lead singer, the top of the payphone erupts into flames.

“I don’t know what to say on the telephone…”

So, is this how we are gonna stay?
(It shouldn’t be)
You don’t know what to say on the telephone,
So, is this how we are gonna stay?
(It shouldn’t be)
I don’t know what to say,
How’d it all go grey?
I don’t know what to say on the telephone.
(It shouldn’t be)
On the telephone.
(It shouldn’t be)

No, how’d it all go grey?
I don’t know what to say on the telephone.
(It shouldn’t be)
On the telephone.
(It shouldn’t be)
On the telephone.


As the song comes to an end, the camera slowly pans out from the lower stage and all the lights and pyrotechnics turn off bar one, dim light, flickering above the lead singer who is staring hopelessly into the distance as the camera backs away from him, illuminated only by this dim light and the fire of the still burning payphone next to him. The camera then changes to a shot of the hanging phone to finish the song, with lead singer in the background out of focus before the performance comes to a complete close. When the lights come back on, the lead singer rushes back up the stairs and the entire band bow and wave to the camera, shouting “Thank you!” before making their way off stage to allow the Normand team to prepare for the Achaean performance following them.

PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:38 pm
by Todlichebujoku
XX. Tödlichebujoku
"Sredh Duhàv" - Ía Lêsovà

Title Translation: Among The Spirits
Language(s): Zirnhese (Lagoan: Zirnhês, Taploukki: Zirnyan, Zirnhese: Zirnscí)
Lyrics: Ía Mesacova
Music: Felicidade Crupina, Rostislao Voronin
Tune: Oonagh - "Silmaril"


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Ía Mesacova, better known through her stage name Ía Lêsovà (Ía of the Forests), originates from Cachino Novo, a village in the Zirnhese heartland, the the rolling hills and low mountains of the Dicarnosth where the old songs ring out from ancient villages, as untouched by Lagoan meddling as could be. From a young age she was surrounded by the Zirnhese folk songs and lullabies sung by the grandmothers and grandfathers of the village, especially as the Lagoan princedom began to step back from its repressive imperialist and Lagocentrist ideology, a move spurred by the growing tide of unrest and violence in the major cities of the region. This backdrop of unrest interspersed with the idyllic groves and villages formed the environment in which Ía found herself growing up in, but luckily the biggest scars were beginning to heal in the national consciousness by the time she began understanding the situation. It is from this background that Ía navigated the recent unrest in Tödlichebujoku, keeping in touch with her extended family and childhood mentors to learn from their own experiences in that period, in order to best manage her well-being in this most recent trial. With her song "Sredh Duhàv", Ía hopes to weave a getaway from all the chaos and the hurt that has transpired, to transport her listeners and viewers into a mystical world to heal and to find joy.

The light shines softly upon Ía as she steps forward, barefoot, shrouded in a gauzy, airy silver dress that smoothly wraps around her body. It glimmers subtly as the camera view closes in upon her, with almost a hazy, dewy effect that gives the scene an otherworldly, dreamlike cast. She begins with her head downcast, but slowly raises it, her eyes meeting the camera view in innocent, wistful wonder

Moia shrdçe, i ducha, jajdut dìhania
Nadeiush, çhhto sàlnhçe ojivit menha
No seiçhas, mì proidhom v'lunnom suête
Mì v'drugom mire

My heart, and soul, long for breath
I hope for the sun to bring me to life
But for now, we pass through the moonlight
We're in another world


The single, soft golden light remains on Ía as a number of dancers wrapped in very loose silvery fabric dance around her like dervishes, the fabric loose in such a manner that the human forms of the dancers are heavily abstracted, lost within the folds and billows of the fabric as they whirl and dance in circles upon the stage. Watery, silvery lights shine down at an angle from all around the stage, like a bowl of light upon the dancers and around the single beam on Ía in the center. Ía herself dances in place, the strengthening beam upon her beginning to reveal the glitter in her makeup that sparkles in the camera view. Her movements are graceful and fluid, joyful and carefree, as specks of reflective dust are faintly visible in the light

Cajdi vàz'hod, cajdi zacat, s'cajduiu noçh sredh duhàv
Ia ne boiush, ia ne boiush, ia ne boiush temnotì
Mì lêtaiem, mì lêtaiem, mì lêtaiem sredh duhàv
I ne boímsha thmì

Poidhom
Poidhom
Poidhom sà m'noi

Poidhom
Poidhom
Poidhom s'nami

Every sunrise, every sunset, with every night among the spirits
I do not fear, I do not fear, I do not fear the darkness
We are flying, we are flying, we are flying among the spirits
And we do not fear the dark

Come
Come
Come with me

Come
Come
Come with us


The dancers fall away from view as the silver lights are replaced with golden ones, washing the stage in a golden summer glow that brings out the more vibrant tones in Ía's ruddy skin and fiery hair. She raises her head and hands upwards to the heavens, reveling in the moment, before dropping her gaze and arms down as half of her becomes illuminated in gold, the other in a cool, soft white with darkness behind. Behind and around her, lush greenery begins to appear on the "sunlit" side, with silvery plant life on the "moonlit" side

Éto nebo namecaiet na nebesa vìche
Ispìtai vhsê, peremenì, tì poimhochh çhhto lusçhe
A budh to thma, ili suêtà, esth radosth
I mì mojem isçêlithsé

This sky hints at the heavens above
Experience all the changes, you'll realize which is best
Whether darkness or light, there is joy
And we can be healed


The dancers return, now in both gold and silver shrouds, whirling around Ía in her beam of golden light, as wind begins to blow on the stage, magnifying the billows of all the fabric in movement, and lightly tossing Ía's hair. She slowly turns in a circle as she prances about in place, the camera view following her as she does so, and in the background the stage is no longer simply split in half between green foliage and silver foliage. Now, radial slices of gold and silver plant life are displayed, rotating at the pace of Ía's turning, as if being illuminated through a turning lens split into slices

Cajdi vàz'hod, cajdi zacat, s'cajduiu noçh sredh duhàv
Ia ne boiush, ia ne boiush, ia ne boiush temnotì
Mì lêtaiem, mì lêtaiem, mì lêtaiem sredh duhàv
I ne boímsha thmì

Poidhom
Poidhom
Poidhom sà m'noi

Poidhom
Poidhom
Poidhom s'nami

Every sunrise, every sunset, with every night among the spirits
I do not fear, I do not fear, I do not fear the darkness
We are flying, we are flying, we are flying among the spirits
And we do not fear the dark

Come
Come
Come with me

Come
Come
Come with us


The lights turn down just enough to illuminate Ía against the darkened background as she looks down upon the dancers, who are splayed out on the floor around her. She points her arms toward them as she turns around, and gazes into the camera view with an expression of wild innocent wonder

No seiçhas, mì proidhom v'lunnom suête
Mì v'drugom mire

But for now, we pass through the moonlight
We're in another world


The dancers burst back into life as mist billows out from around the stage edge and pours down around them, fog banks swirling around the animated dancers and their flapping shrouds. Ía herself is dancing in graceful movements in the center, illuminated gold as the camera view comes down from above, so that the performers on stage appear almost like some sort of living mandala, or some magical sigil that is coming alive, the spotlights on the dancers reflecting against the fog and making it seem like the dancers are glowing

Cajdi vàz'hod, cajdi zacat, s'cajduiu noçh sredh duhàv
Ia ne boiush, ia ne boiush, ia ne boiush temnotì
Mì lêtaiem, mì lêtaiem, mì lêtaiem sredh duhàv
I ne boímsha thmì

Poidhom
Poidhom
Poidhom sà m'noi

Poidhom
Poidhom
Poidhom s'nami

Every sunrise, every sunset, with every night among the spirits
I do not fear, I do not fear, I do not fear the darkness
We are flying, we are flying, we are flying among the spirits
And we do not fear the dark

Come
Come
Come with me

Come
Come
Come with us


Flutists dressed as wood nymphs, in very light clothing with leaves interwoven in the fabric, dance around the periphery as glittery "snow" drifts down from above, causing the air itself to shimmer and glimmer in the light, and collecting upon the clothing of the performers. As the song ends, the dancers fall to the ground, and the lights sweep outward to wash the arena in a golden glow, before fading away

"Thank you, kiitos, spasibà, merci!!" she shouts, before exiting the stage.